


Lotus

by Araceil



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Actual Gremlin Aerith, Better Living Through Materia, Crossdressing, Don Corneo is a warning in his own right, Drama, Elmyra's actual A+ parenting, F/M, Family, Humour, M/M, Reincarnation, Romance, Sibling Relationship, The Planet Moves in Mysterious Ways, Zack Fair Lives, dumb teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24360067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Araceil/pseuds/Araceil
Summary: Ifalna knew she only had the one child, the single precious seed of life within her. When she felt the Planet gift her with another, she knew it was for a great task, possibly the Greatest. So she vowed to protect them, and teach them as best she could with the time she had left to her.Aerith knew her little brother was a bit different, but it didn't matter, not to her. He held her hand when she was lonely, and told her stories at bedtime, and scared the scientists away when Momma was too tired for their testing. It was them against the world for as long as she could remember. She never expected that their great duty would be to save it in the end.For Terra Gainsborough, having a loving mother and a sister made saving the world, again, worth the price of being reincarnated.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Harry Potter, Biggs/Harry Potter, Cloud Strife/Harry Potter, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 97
Kudos: 1053





	1. Chapter 1

Ifalna was the last of her kind.

She had been born into the world unknowing of that, but intimately aware as a young woman that there would be no more pureblood Cetra after her. Her child would be halfblood. Half Cetra. Perfect and beautiful and the end of an era. The last steward of the Planet.

Faramis Gast was not the man she had imagined marrying in her childhood. A former Shinra scientist, tormented by the blood on his hands, desperate to find the truth, believing that if he learned it he could bring it back to the people, save them, that he could stop the cruelties they began. He had no idea who or what she was when they met that evening at the inn. He had been seeking information about the Ancients, and their lost city that was supposedly somewhere on the Northern Continent. Ifalna, as the only one brave enough to venture north through the ice-fields, had been mentioned to him as a possible guide. So when she came in to spend a few hours by the fire and chat to her neighbours in the warm, he had approached her, bundled up tightly in too many layers of impractical woollen knit and soggy canvas, and nervously introduced himself.

It took three months before she warmed up to him, and another year before she fell in love.

Now, they were married. She had told him the truth of her origins, shared with him various secrets of her people, and in return, he gave her a child. A little seed of life, planted deep within her. Born of a love she never expected, but like finding mushrooms under a tree-stump was a pleasant surprise indeed.

So when she awoke one morning with the Planet singing beneath her feet and a _second_ seed within her, she worried.

The Planet had given her a gift, but rarely did it move so blatantly without purpose. Without cause. She clutched at her stomach in worry, at her babies. What kind of future awaited them? She had known they would be the last true stewards of the Planet, she knew they would be _important_ to the Planet in a way that she was not. But was what faced them truly so great that the single life within her was not enough?

Her breath came out shaky, Faramis slumbering behind her, unaware of the Planet's actions, of the voices beneath their feet and filling the air.

She smoothed her fingers across the gentle swell of her abdomen and made a quiet promise.

She would teach them everything she knew. Even those things she had originally intended to take with her to the grave.

* * *

The twins came early, as the midwives warmed him they tended to.

Faramis had woken to his wife's land slapping him as she gasped on their bed, crying out that they were coming. It was the early hours, so early it was still considered late, and the inn would still be open. He burst out of their house, stopping only long enough to stamp into his boots and grab his coat, the icy wind of Icicle at winter, in the dark, stole his breath away and threatened to topple him as he struggled through knee high snow to the inn.

Myrn, bless her, took one look at him as he burst through the doors in his night-clothes, coat, and boots, snow plastered to one side of him, and panic written across his face, and corralled her daughters, handed her husband the serving tray and marched him straight back to the house where his wife was struggling to lay down a waterproof sheet across their bed, stopping every now and again to breathe as a contraction hit, crested, and passed.

He was ushered from the room and the three women got to work on his wife, while the third and youngest headed to the kitchen and gathered everything they had prepared ahead of time.

Not ten minutes later, Joel and Sig showed up at the door with beer and pie, congratulating him but saying it was going to be hell waiting for this all to blow over. They were there to keep him company while the women did what they did best. Faramis was touched, but he wanted to be _in_ there, with his wife. Myrn told him in no uncertain terms he would just get in their way but – Ifalna was working to bring their children into the world, the _least_ he could do was hold her _hand_ through the pain he felt.

Despite the blizzard that began to howl, the birth was easier than they expected. Myrn was pleased and claimed it was a blessing from the Planet as she held him at bay at the door.

The twins were early, so they were small and fragile, they would need careful tending in this first month, she told him sternly, but smiled and patted his arm as he continued to crane his neck anxiously around the door frame. All he could see was his wife's beautiful brown hair gleaming wheat-gold and autumn red in the lamp-light from their bedside table, the edge of fresh sheets around her, the yellow ones she called her sunshine set.

Myrn let him in, laughing about how he obviously wasn't listening, she would be back tomorrow to hammer it into his head later.

And almost as quickly as it all happened, it was all over, and their house was empty and quiet, the blizzard howling outside, and his wife looking pale and tired but oh so very satisfied in their bed, her night dress open and each breast occupied by a tiny mouth. He felt like an intruder in his own home as he crept forward, his heart aching and breaking and so full of love as he catalogued how _tiny_ they were, how _perfect_.

“A girl and a boy,” Ifalna told him softly, hardly able to tear her eyes away from them to look at him, not that he was any better as he sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.

He reached out, smoothing a hand down the back of one's head, marvelling at how soft the downy hair was, how warm they were to the touch. “Have you decided on a name?” he asked quietly, reverently, as he took a tiny hand and _marvelled_ over tiny perfect fingernails, delicate pink wrinkled fingers, and puffy soft skin. A miracle as old as time. It was her traditions, the children were not named until they were born, and it would be the mother who named them before the dawn rose on their first full day.

She smiled tiredly, “Aerith for the girl,” she said softly, a derivative of 'earth', “and Terra for the boy.” The old Cetran word for 'earth' as well.

He smiled, “Perfect.”

* * *

She clutched her children tightly to her, Aerith whimpering and fussing, struggling in her swaddling, while her brother fussed in silence, squirming and unhappy, but thankfully quiet. Terra was quiet but one whimper from him was enough to set Aerith to howling, and if she started crying he was soon to follow. She didn't think her heart could take it if they cried and drew that _monster's_ attention.

It felt like her heart was bleeding.

Maybe it was.

Faramis.... he was with the Planet now, and she didn't think she would ever run out of tears for the loss of him. They had been – she had been – it was as if the world had been bathed in shades of light and gold, those precious weeks they had together with their children. Like a dream. She had lived in a dream since that night, the blizzard, the birth of their children, her precious twins, her sun and her moon, and her earth, her husband. The world was pure and good and right, and everything was _f-fine_.

And then like the Calamity from the Sky, Shinra crashed into her perfect world, and set it all aflame.

Faramis tried to buy time to run, but there were Turks at every window, infantry at the doors, and Hojo at the front. Her husband had died with a bullet to the chest, gasping and choking on his own blood as she was dragged from their home, screaming his name, her babies wailing against her chest as she was manhandled into a vehicle. Her neighbours shouting and cursing, held back at rifle-point by increasingly uncomfortable infantry.

She felt her husband for the last time ten minutes after the engines gunned, and they tore away from her home, felt the last touch of his essence against her soul, his final goodbye. Felt the ghost of his love, a sunset upon her senses, until finally.... the sun went down, and he returned to the Planet.

She drew her suddenly stunned and silent babies against her and cried, and _cried_ , and _cried_. Until the vehicle stopped, and she heard that _monster_ come for them.

Her anger came howling through her like the harshest of Northern blizzards. She drew that ice around her, that veil of cutting wind and lifted her head to meet him.

He would not have the satisfaction of seeing her brought low.

He would not touch her children.

And when his time came, she would take great pleasure in _scouring_ him from existence in the Lifestream.

* * *

Aerith had never known life outside the Shinra tower, outside their little one roomed cell, with her mother and her brother. The only people she knew were the Turks who came to talk to them while their mother was working, the scientists her mother worked with, and the lady who came in to clean their bathroom and do the dusting.

Her brother hated all of them. Especially the scientists, and he didn't like it when she spoke to them at all.

Her world was so small. Her brother snuck out sometimes, occasionally he would bring her with him and they would explore the Science Department where they lived. She.... didn't like it out there. He didn't either, but he said he was looking for a way to escape, so she went with him. Two pairs of eyes were better than one. They were always caught when both of them went, she wasn't very good at sneaking and hiding even though her brother tried to teach her. She was determined to get better though. When they escaped, she didn't want to be the one to get them all caught!

Momma didn't like it when they left the room and would tell them off in that way she only did when she was scared. Terra always took it hardest when she shouted at them and would go and sit in the corner facing the wall with his knees drawn up while momma stalked around unhappily in their room.

But when they weren't sneaking out, and when momma wasn't too tired from work, she would sit with them and tell them stories. Stories about the Planet, the Cetra, and the Calamity. They weren't very nice stories, and Aerith didn't like them. So Terra made stories up for her too, stories with funny voices and magic people and even songs. He sang really well and his stories were fun, and she even got him to tell them to both her and momma when she was too tired to read a bedtime story. It always put a smile on her face so, despite being embarrassed about singing to them, Terra kept singing, kept making stories up about a secret people who had magic like the Cetra but hid in secret places in cities full of normal humans. How they used their magic to hide things like dragons and other monsters that normal humans couldn't deal with, how they would put spells on _broomsticks_ so they could fly like birds, and had teacups that would bite the noses of the dinner guests they didn't like. Momma liked that one a lot.

But.... she was getting tired more often.

The scientists were unhappy, and Terra was getting anxious. Something was coming, her world was going to change, and like a cresting wave it was getting closer and closer, about to crash over their heads and drag them under and away.

It was like her feet were swept out from beneath her and suddenly their mother was dragged away.

* * *

Elmyra wasn't sure how she was going to support two more mouths to feed, she wasn't sure what her husband would even think about it either. She had written him of course, about the two children she'd found at the train station, their dying mother, the tearful little girl Aerith who was a dear, and her suspicious and shy little brother Terra who crept around the house and watched her from a distance, but fixed things when she wasn't looking, and did chores without being asked.

She was sure her husband would adore them. She could almost see it in her mind's eye, teaching Aerith in the kitchen how to bake while Garet and Terra worked out the back, evenings around the dinner table, trips to the markets, the twins running off with all the other Sector 5 children, Garet piggybacking Aerith home while Terra kicked trash out of their path and ran to open the gate. She wanted that. She wanted it with _all_ of her heart.

But....

It just wasn't meant to be.

Terra still couldn't call her mom, and yet....

“Elmyra?” the eight year old boy queried uncertainly behind her, he so rarely took that hesitant tone with her that she was immediately worried, putting the dishes in her hands down and turning to him. Aerith was there too, clutching at his arm, looking sad and uncertain. She opened her mouth only to close it sharply when her brother looked at her quickly, before turning his attention hesitantly up to her.

“What is it, Terra?” she asked, really worried now.

He held a hand out for her and she took it, stepping close as she knelt down.

The twins exchanged another one of their strange speaking glances, their green-green eyes meeting before turning back to her, unsettlingly ancient and young all at once. He squeezed her fingers. “There was.... a visitor,” he admitted, making her blood chill, “...from the Planet. He.... He wanted to see you one last time before he returned. He came from really far away and, he loved you, very much....” the eight year old told her, squeezing her fingers tightly.

“Please don't be sad,” Aerith chimed in, “He wanted to stay, but he had to return to the Planet.”

And really...... what...... could she say to that?

It wasn't until the letter came.... that she realised what they had been trying to tell her. Why they had been trying to comfort her in their strange stilted yet earnestly heartfelt way.

That she learned her husband was dead.

* * *

“ – and the Prince of all the Lions climbed to the top of Pride Rock and roared, commanding the Planet to acknowledge his Kingship,” the eight year old boy narrated to his enraptured audience of grubby slum children, “The sky opened up, rain falling and putting out the fires, thunder snarling across the sky carrying his roar to every corner of Africa! A new King had been crowned! The Pride had returned, the False King Scar struck down!” he proclaimed to the gleeful yelling of the children.

“What happened to the hyenas?” a little girl exclaimed from the back row, her thick curly black hair frizzing out in bunches atop her head, “They were tricked by Scar! Did the lions punish them?” she gasped in upset.

Terra shook his head, “No. When the hyenas found out the truth, they killed Scar themselves, and said sorry to all the animals they hurt and scared while working for him. The Kingdom still didn't like them all that much, but they listened to Simba now, and he taught them how to respect the Planet and in return they protected Pride Rock and hunted down everyone who would try to hurt their Kingdom,” he explained with wide spread arms.

But it was when he flung his arms out that he saw them, the men in black suits, Turks, examining the fresh green grass growing in the cracks between the sheets of metal throughout the Sector 5 Slums.

One of the other kids saw where he was pointing and shrieked. They all knew what black suits meant.

“SHINRA!!” the slum rats all screamed and scattered.

Terra went in the opposite direction of his house, just in case they spotted him, and then he hid for ten minutes to see if they _had_ seen him and tried to follow. They hadn't. So he was safe.

He climbed onto the roof of the house and scampered towards Petal Lane, keeping his head down and moving quickly across the roof-tops that wouldn't be able to hold his weight when he was bigger (he would just have to reinforce them with magic then, wouldn't he? Couple of sticking charms, an impervious, just like Molly Weasley taught him). He jumped down when he reached his house and raced to the front door, heart in his throat.

He burst in through the door, Aerith's name on his lips, and saw Tseng, the ambitious novice turk, in front of her. Saw Elmyra stood in front of his sister, and the look of fear on both of their faces, his sister cowering behind the kind lady who took them in.

He leapt at him.

“GET. AWAY. FROM. MY. _SISTER!!_ ” he yelled, shoving the Turk, Elmyra crying out his name as she snatched Aerith away, the suited man grunting and stumbling as Terra grabbed his stupid suit jacket and kicked the back of his knees. “GET OUT GET OUT _GET OUT!!_ ”

“This – is not – ” the Turk tried to speak, spinning in place and trying to grab him by the scruff of his neck, but Terra ducked and leaned all of his weight to the side, swinging them both around so the man was towards the door and then shoved him again, this time with magic. He flew through the open door and crashed into the stone outside with a grunt.

“Terra, stop this!” Elmyra cried, grabbing him before he could follow and force Tseng to go even _further_ away.

Aerith was crying and she was _never_ supposed to cry! Mom said it was his job to protect her! That was what brothers were supposed to do! That man made his sister cry, and he worked for the men that killed their mom!!

“They killed mom!” he snapped, glaring at the long haired man as he struggled to his feet, wheezing as he rubbed his chest, “It's their fault! They _poisoned_ her! And if they come near Aerith again, I'll – I'll turn them into _frogs!_ ” Not his best threat, he knew somehow, but at eight it was the worst thing he could think of. He didn't want to kill or hurt anyone, but being a frog meant they couldn't hurt them, or take Aerith away.

“Just.... Think about it, please,” the Turk requested, looking at Elmyra and Aerith, grimacing uncomfortably as he rubbed his chest, looking at him with something that seemed to be menacing, approving, and respectful all at once. “You protect them well,” he praised before looking up at Elmyra, “We'll be back to discuss this further.”

Not if Terra had anything to say about it, he decided, feeling Elmyra's hands tighten fearfully on his shoulders.

* * *

Tseng didn't come back himself, instead, his boss Veld appeared looking worn and tired.

Terra and Aerith had been playing with Kyrie and a few of the other littler kids in the slum down at the river after Folia got into a fight with Biggs that got all the bigger kids in trouble and chased off. Someone needed to keep an eye on the little kids who didn't want to go home yet, so that ended up being Terra and Aerith.

He told more stories, about the Pied Piper who came to help a town with their rat problems, but because they refused to pay him, he stole their children the same way he did the rats. Which was why you should always pay someone that does a job for you, because they might turn against you.

The two came running back for lunch but the second Terra saw the familiar man at the kitchen table he grabbed Aerith's hand and ran away. He jumped in the river, dragging her with him, and they hid in the cave behind the waterfall for over an hour, whispering fearfully at each other. Eventually they got into a fight. Terra wanted to run away completely, leave Midgar where they wouldn't be so easily found – plants and flowers were growing in Sector 5, that wasn't supposed to be possible according to everyone, _they_ were doing it, which meant that they couldn't stay in Midgar. All Shinra had to do was follow the flowers and they'd be found again. They needed to find a forest and hide there! But Aerith refused to leave Elmyra, she said that it would break her heart if she was alone and she _saved_ them. She was their mom now.

Terra snapped that Elmyra _was not_ their mom, their mom was dead because of Shinra and _Elmyra_ was having tea with them! He wasn't going to replace their mother as easily as Aerith apparently could!!

She'd burst into tears at the accusation and promptly rushed out of the waterfall.

He immediately felt awful but he was _not_ going to admit it. He was right and he knew it. Elmyra wasn't their mom. No matter how much she wanted to be..... No one could replace their mom. No one could replace Lily Potter, Molly Weasley, or Ifalna Gast. And he didn't want anyone to _try!_

He buried his face in his knees and cried angrily.

Angry at Aerith for moving on so quickly, for being so happy when their mom was dead. At Elmyra for being so nice but _not_ being their mom. At himself for being a big stupid selfish baby. At _Shinra_ who caused all this, who killed his mom, who killed Elmyra's husband, who made his heart hurt with all this _hate_ and _anger_. It was all their fault. Why couldn't they have just left them alone! Why couldn't they just leave _everyone_ alone?! Why'd they have to be so _mean?!_

It started getting dark before he heard someone trying to get through the waterfall. He was shivering with cold but too stubborn to leave, too scared and too angry.

“Terra? I'm coming in, okay?” Elmyra's voice warned him gently as she used a hand to part the waterfall just enough to stop it slapping her in the face as she swam in.

She pushed herself up into the tiny alcove, still in her green dress and apron, now sodden and soaked through, she smiled at him and he quickly looked away with a scowl, hugging his knees tightly.

They sat on silence, Elmyra gently swishing her legs through the water below them as Terra stubbornly tried not to shiver, tried not to cry, tried not to look as miserable as he felt. He did not succeed, but Elmyra was nice enough not to say anything.

Eventually though....

“Is Aerith still upset?” he asked quietly.

“A little bit,” she admitted, “She cried herself out and fell asleep.”

“And..... and Veld?” he asked warily, peering out at her through semi-wet strands of long hair.

Her smile was strained, but understanding, “Gone. For now at least. He didn't believe Tseng's report that you'd thrown him out of the house completely, but when you took one look at him and bolted I guess he realised he wouldn't be getting very far today at all. He went back to Shinra not long after.”

He turned away and dropped his chin on top of his knees.

“....I hate them,” he muttered, rocking backwards and forwards. “It's their fault mom died. That your husband died. They take and they take and they don't stop. They're.... they're like a cancer,” he said miserably.

“And you're allowed to hate them, Terra, you are,” she soothed, stroking his head, “But it isn't safe to be loud about it. What you did to Tseng, they could have arrested you for it and taken you away. Taken you back to Shinra.” Her hand slipped down his cheek to tilt his chin up, forcing green eyes to meet blue, “It isn't just your sister they want. They want you too, Sweetpea.”

“Why can't they just leave us alone?” he sniffled, wiping his face.

She scooted over and wrapped a warm strong arm around him. She smelt like lemon soap and rust and sweat, nothing like mom who always smelt like flowers and chemicals and blood, she was stocky and strong when he turned and burrowed against her, crying in earnest. He missed his mom, he missed her so much. Elmyra was nothing like her, but she felt _safe_ all the same. Like she could weather any storm, and if the world came crashing down she would roll up her sleeves and just pick it right back up again.

She held him until his tears ran dry, stroking his hair and rocking him until he calmed down.

She pulled away and wiped his eyes, “Let's get you into some dry clothes now, before you catch a cold,” she said smiling sadly at him as she pushed herself back into the water and held a hand out for him.

He wasn't ready to call her mom, he wasn't sure if he would _ever_ be ready, but as they splished their way up the path to the house where Aerith was peeking out of the front door looking worried, he thought he loved her. Not _as_ much but.... a lot. A lot a lot.

* * *

Aerith was growing flowers. Which, okay, they were nice enough, he could think of a lot of uses for the flowers that had begun to sprout in the purified earth of the dinky valley they lived in. No one else had wanted to live in the junk-yard at the end of Petal Lane where the water was so polluted and foul it smelt bad. Not that it had stayed that way for long with both him and Aerith living there – but the rest of it was easily fixed by just... _tidying up_? He dragged all the scrap metal out, found places and homes for it, fixed bits and pieces and sold it on, even used some chunks to make an axe, a hoe, and a shovel to help with her revitalisation efforts.

Half the stuff he used to build a bridge too, that was fun. Then he built a walk-way to get to the top of the cliffs because if Aerith was turning the space around their house into a flower garden then he was planting his vegetables up here! (They were gunna need more space anyway, and if she wanted to keep her flowers then that meant they needed bees, and he knew selling honey would earn them a lot of money!)

He also set up a water purifier on the river further back. There would undoubtedly be a lot of heavy metals in the water on top of mako run off and other nastiness, but he was _pretty_ sure he could use materia to fix that if he set the conductors up right. He went and he harassed some of the reactor technicians who couldn't afford to live plate-side for engineering books and science magazines and what not, most of them were willing to part with them in exchange for running some errands (one wanted him to do gross stuff so he ran away and told Biggs so he could warn the other kids, the next day that guy was run out of Sector 5 after Biggs told the other adults – Terra got the books he wanted after that, no gross stuff necessary), so he spent a lot of time reading when he wasn't chasing after his sister and his friends.

He wasn't sure how to feel when the Turks began to deliver more complex books to their doorstep, or spend unusual amounts of time in _his_ fields (though, they did spend a lot of time marvelling over Aerith's flowers. They grew much faster than his stumbling efforts into engineering so it was a lot more impressive – and she managed to emotionally manipulate them into buying a bunch for a _lot_ of gil. He got the feeling that a lot of them didn't quite understand how money worked beneath the plate).

Tseng popped up a few times to try and talk to them, thankfully he never tried to separate them or approach Aerith on her own, he probably realised that trying to do that would earn him more than a magically reinforced push out of the house. He kept asking about the Promised Land. Terra _almost_ told him it was destroyed before he felt the Planet caution him. If he told, if he let them think it was unobtainable, that it didn't exist, then what small protection he and his sister had against them vanished. The only reason they hadn't been dragged back to the tower kicking and screaming was that they were scared neither of them want to take them there. They had to _want_ to.

So he told the man if he was just going to talk at him he could go away, _some_ of us had work to do, and then go back to trying to get his water purifier to work. He was sure he almost had it – the only problem was....

He needed materia. Which he couldn't afford. And he needed it levelled. Which he couldn't do, or Elmyra would spank him for risking his neck.

Kyrie's grandma fixed the problem when he mentioned it to her, complaining that his project had stalled because he couldn't get any Cleanse or Fire materia. Not only that, but he needed to level up the Cleanse until it could cast Esuna, which meant monster hunting, and there was no way Elmyra would let him do that.

The next day she appeared while he was morosely watching Biggs and Wedge playing with Folia and Claude who would rather play with each other's hair than whatever adventure scenario the other two had come up with. She casually shoved a leather wrapped package at him, grinning with crinkly kind eyes that the Angel of the Slums was mighty interested to see what good he could do with that water purifier of his before she swanned off.

When he unrolled it, his eyes practically bugged out of his skull to see the two daggers, a bracer, and _three_ materia! A Restore, Fire, and a _Cleanse_.

But of _course_ Biggs and Wedge followed him when he snuck out of the Sector, they'd seen him with the materia bracer and thought he was off on an adventure and decided to join in thinking it would be fun.

They definitely stopped thinking it would be fun when a Hedgehog Pie jumped out at them from behind the trash piles.

It was a good thing Terra was very very good with magic or Wedge would have lost an awful lot more than just his dignity as he cried in a puddle of his own urine. Terra sighed irritably and helped Biggs get his large friend back to their hideout where the other kids who didn't have anywhere to live stayed.

And if it couldn't get any worse, Aerith caught them coming back.

Her eyes went wide as she looked at the daggers holstered at his sides, the materia bracer, and both Biggs and Wedge looking dusty (and in Wedge's case very wet).

“UMMM, I'm telling!!” she crowed, turning on heel and running back towards the house.

“Aerith no!!” he yelped, dropping Wedge and racing after her. She absolutely could NOT tell mom!

He tackled her as they reached Petal Lane, “You can't tell!” he commanded as they scuffled on the ground.

“I'm telling I'm telling! You're running around outside the Sector with knives and materia! You're monster hunting!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

“Shut UP!” he hissed trying to cover her mouth.

“No!”

“YES!”

“NOOOOOO!! I'M TELLING!!”

“You can't tell! I'll – I'll do whatever you want but you can't tell!!” She grunted and bit him, kicking his shins and squirming away. “I'll do all your chores for the whole week!” She yelled behind his hand, writhing. “I'll – I'll go to all your stupid tea parties for a whole month!”

She shook her head free, “Two months!”

“Two months!” he agreed desperately.

“And – you have to dress up! And sing too!” she added.

He reared back, “What?! No way!!” he refused. Aerith's dumb tea parties involved _dresses_ and _hats_ and _flower-crowns_!The singing he was fine with, he liked it so didn't mind that addition.

Her expression turned nasty, “Then I'll tell you took Biggs and Wedge with you!”

“Fine! I'll wear the dumb dress!”

He would come to regret that deal intensely in the intervening years, but it made sure his sister kept her mouth shut whenever he snuck out of Sector 5 to hunt monsters and – eventually – she started coming with him. Armed with a good sturdy stick, the two of them ventured further and further out of Sector 5 until they found a place they could play all for themselves. No one lived in the shanty-town of cobbled together buildings at this end of the slums, they had been lost to monster nests years ago apparently, but the Church was still standing, still _sturdy_ , and what was more, they could both feel the threads of life, of faith, still lingering here.

“The soil here is good,” Aerith observed as they crept carefully through the building, sneezing on ancient dust.

Terra hummed. It was nice and defensible too. And with the way the buildings butted up against the roof he was pretty sure he could make a couple of escape routes that the Turks were too big to use. It was nice and big too which meant they could practice with their weapons where mom couldn't find them, and if the Turks picked a fight he wouldn't feel bad using a lot of magic.It also had good acoustics, he could sing here and it would sound pretty good actually, he almost wanted to try it out right now.

“Do you want a garden here?” he asked, turning to his sister curiously.

She hummed, pole held behind her as she swung herself forwards and back in her hand-me down blue dress.

“You know, I think I do,” she decided after a while. Like him, she could feel the power that slumbered here, the faith, the fading echoes of the Planet. Perhaps before the reactors had been built this had been a place where humanity worshipped the Planet? Maybe that was why it flowed so much closer beneath their feet than beneath their house.

Either way, it was time to go to work. His sister wanted a garden which meant those floor-boards had to go.

* * *

“What.... are you wearing?” Biggs asked hesitantly, freezing in the middle of racing through the kid's hideout as he stumbled across the two weirdo twins who lived up on Petal Lane. The girl, Aerith, who was really nice but a total goodie-two-shoes was humming and happily braiding her brother's earthy brown-black hair with green ribbons while the boy in question sat in angry silence wearing one of her dresses. A green one that someone had sewn white and yellow flowers onto the hem and neckline of.

Terra was the _coolest_ boy in Sector 5, but he was also a total weirdo too. He had these really cool daggers and _materia_ that he was really good with. But he was always playing with trash, singing weird songs, and reading big difficult books, and the Shinra guys were always asking everyone if either of the twins had said or done anything unusual – more unusual than they usually did anyway. Biggs had seen the Wutaian one storm away from the house, scowling, and pulling chunks of mud and grass out of his hair.

But not too long ago they stopped playing around Sector 5 so much. Kyrie said they'd found a hide out on the outskirts near the wall but she was only six so what did she know. Even if she and Aerith were 'best friends' (they weren't. Kyrie was a baby and Aerith was eleven. She was just humouring her because Folia and Claude avoided her now, scared of the Shinra guys that followed them around).

Aerith beamed at them, “One of my dresses. We're having a tea party. Doesn't he look cute?” she gushed happily.

Terra looked miserable. “She caught me trying to sneak into Wall Market,” he explained. And that was all Biggs needed to hear. The twins were a little famous in that Terra was the strong one, while Aerith was the sly one who would trick and blackmail her little brother into doing her bidding when she caught him doing things their mother would disapprove of. It was how he ended up in dresses so often. There had been a period of time when Biggs hadn't even been sure if Terra was a boy or a girl, until Wedge thoughtlessly asked and Aerith burst out into peels of laughter while her brother had gone bright red and angrily told them he was a boy. Claude had been almost wild with jealousy because he wanted to get dressed up and look pretty too but he didn't have any dresses and Folia refused to share.

“Do you want to join us?” Aerith asked brightly.

“Sure!” Wedge exclaimed, answering before Biggs could get a word in. He was always interested whenever food was brought into the equation.

“Yaaay!” Aerith cheered, bouncing up and down with her hands clasped in front of her, “Okay, let me just go and get Kyrie and we'll go!” she exclaimed before she ran off out of the kids' hideout to go and find her friend.

Terra sighed and pushed to his feet, pulling his bracer on as he did so. He – actually looked like a girl. An actually cute girl.

“You look like a girl,” Wedge complimented, reading Biggs' mind the way that only his bestest bro ever could.

The younger boy wrinkled his nose, “Thanks. It's the dress,” he retorted with obvious sarcasm. Biggs couldn't help but laugh even as he nudged Wedge playfully. “Do either of you have any weapons?” he asked curiously as he belted on his daggers over the dress.

Wedge shook his head nervously while Biggs shifted a little uncertainly and nodded. He'd found it a few days ago but... it was kind of scary. And he shouldn't have been in the tunnel leading to Sector 6 _anyway_ and he didn't want Wedge to think he'd been leaving him out when really he'd just been trying to get away from Folia when he'd stumbled on that campsite and – well....

He pulled the small handgun from his waistband and Wedge gasped.

Terra snatched it from his hands.

“Hey! That's mine!” he yelled, trying to grab it back.

“It'll break your wrist as soon as you fire it!” the other boy scolded.

“I'm fourteen! I can handle it!”

Terra glared at him suspiciously, worry lurking deep in his eyes, which he understood, he totally understood, so he didn't get angry or stroppy. He straightened his shoulders and set his jaw and tried to look serious and responsible as he held his hand out for his gun back. He must have been convincing because it was only with the one visible hesitation that the eleven year old boy returned his weapon.

“I have a Restore materia on me. Don't hide any injuries out of pride, okay?” he requested seriously.

He nodded, “Right.”

Wedge looked between them nervously, “Should – should I get a weapon?” he asked.

Biggs grinned at him, “Nah, you're fine, big guy. I'll protect you!” he promised.

“We're heeeereeee!” Aerith sang lugging a large bag, and a little dark haired girl in a blue dress and hat, one in each hand. Terra eyed the bag suspiciously, looked at both Biggs and Wedge, snorted and smirked.

“Cool. Let's go.”

They start walking to the outskirts, Terra in the lead and he's told Wedge and Kyrie to stay in the middle with Biggs while Aerith brings up the rear, a large thick steel pole in her hands that's already a little dented at the tips. He doesn't doubt she's used it to hit monsters in the past, and despite the gun in his hands, he does feel better to have the two of them taking charge like this. They pass the train station and go around the mako-junkies that are too high to even try building their own places in the slums, they followed both Terra and Aerith with glowing eyes and gaping mouths, moaning and whispering nonsense words. Occasionally he heard one of them whispering something understandable, but usually it was just words like 'shiny', or 'pretty', or 'angel'.

He tightened his grip on the gun, feeling uncomfortable with the idea of _either_ of the twins walking this way every day. What if one of the junkies did more than just stare and mutter? It wasn't safe.

They had only the one incident with a monster as they ducked through an abandoned building, a hedgehog pie leapt for Kyrie only to meet its end in midair as Aerith sent _sparkles_ from her staff at it, and Terra turned on heel and threw his dagger hard enough to knock it clean out of the air.

“Are you alright?” Aerith asked, hurrying to Kyrie who nodded shakily, the six year old stubbornly putting a brave face on as the monster burst into green energy and faded away, Terra collecting his dagger once it was gone. And that was apparently that, they kept walking like it was no big thing, and Biggs was beginning to feel _very_ uncool in comparison as they trailed after the boy in the green dress. He was fourteen and he had a _gun_ , surely he should have been in the lead? The one to protect everyone else? It was – bad that a pair of eleven year olds had to do it, like, really bad. And _really_ uncool.

He looked down at the metallic gun.

Maybe he should start practising more? Set up a shooting range to work on his accuracy. Bullets were pretty easy to come across down in the slums, you could buy regular small arms calibre from _vending_ machines the monster problem was so prolific. Maybe next time they hung out, he would be in the lead protecting them?

The church was pretty cool, the big sturdy brick building would probably outlast all of them it was so well constructed. And inside there was already evidence that the twins had made it their own, floorboard pulled up and freshly turned soil with green shoots, junk piled into tables and rusted sheets of metal with chalk scribbled across them, construction plans that he could see evidence of being half-finished on the tables around them. It was pretty cool.

And then Aerith brought out two dresses for him and Wedge and a smile on her face that said it was non-negotiable.

* * *

His Cleanse was finally mastered, to his shock, it was even a _naturally formed_ materia and it broke in two. Did Mireille even know what she'd _given_ him?!

Well.... He would give her the newly broken Cleanse back. The mastered one was going into his water filter!

He was so excited he didn't notice the new Turk until the red head scruffed him.

“Well that wasn't so tough. Mission accomplished, let's get the pipsqueak back to the Tower,” the _cheap gigolo_ announced cheerfully.

Tseng took three wide steps back, and Terra activated his fully mastered fire materia.

And that was the day Reno got his ass kicked by a twelve year old.

It was also the day the Sector 5 Slums got clean, safe, drinking water for _free_ , and Terra Gainsborough could be see racing through the streets screeching gleefully about being a genius as he scooped his sister up and swung her around babbling excitedly about materia applications in technology. He tackled Mireille Dudley gleefully, thanking her for the materia, and tried to give her the unmastered Cleanse only for the woman to laugh and shove it back with the demand that he make one of those water filters for _every_ Sector – that was why the Angel went to all that effort to get him Naturally Formed materia in the first place after all.

It was also the day that he turned his attention to getting more materia, better weapons, and a _job_.

* * *

“Hey, Biggs?” The fifteen year old boy looked up from where he had been cleaning his gun to see Terra crouching in front of him looking serious, “You've been to Wall Market right? I've seen you prowling around the tunnels training,” he admitted when he tensed in response.

Eventually he nodded, “Yeah. What'd you need?” he asked, figuring the pre-teen was going to ask him to bring back any interesting scrap metal he found (he _hoped_ that was what Terra wanted, he already knew he wasn't exactly the greatest of fighters just yet, he could hold his own but nothing like the other boy, he didn't want to embarrass himself).

“Do you know anywhere that's looking for workers?” he asked.

“Whoa, whoa! Wait, what?!” Biggs squawked, “No! No! You shouldn't be looking for work in Wall Market, Terra!” he yelped. Green eyes blinked at him in bewilderment as he started to rant about the awful people who frequented Wall Market and how he would get _hurt_ or taken advantage of because he was really _cute_ and he was young and look it was just a bad place!

“I meant like in a restaurant or something,” the twelve year old interrupted when he paused to draw breath. Immediately taking all the wind out of his sails.

“Oh.” Well now he felt like an idiot. He blushed hard, “Right, that, makes sense. Um. There's this traditional Wutaian place looking for kitchen staff.”

“Great, let's go!” the younger boy cheered, jumping to his feet.

“What?”

“Well I can't very well go to Wall Market on my own, can I?” Terra demanded with a roll of his eyes, “I'd get lost and all those bad people you kept talking about might attack me,” he pointed out, planting his hands on his hips and looking so much like his sister that he automatically found himself putting his gun back together and standing up, agreeing to escort him to the neon underhive before his brain caught up with his mouth.

It should be fine, if they didn't take the underpass. But they shouldn't need to, not unless Corneo's boys were taking tolls again.

It was a bit early in the day for it but.... he wouldn't discount it just yet.

There were no toll bullying assholes on the road, so they were able to reach the Sector 6 Slums quickly enough, passing by the playpark and the gates that lead to the Sector 7 Slums as they went, there were a bunch of kids playing there. A few stopped to stare and point at the two as they were obviously new and kids didn't often come to Sector 6 for, obvious reasons. Still, no one stopped them as they headed into the walled city properly.

Biggs had never gone in during the evening, he knew better than to risk it, but this early in the morning there were still people cleaning up after last night's revelry. A couple of servers were tiredly sweeping the floors, hung-over partiers were slumped up against walls or trying to stagger their way home, many were doing the walk of shame out of the various love hotels, a couple of whores were strutting out with messy make-up and purses full of money, some looked smug, others tired, and some bored as they headed home after work.

He carefully steered Terra around them all, the pre-teen boy studying everything with slightly wider than usual green eyes as he followed after him.

The Wutaian restaurant was a small thing, and the owner was nice enough, it was a shame that with the Wutai war people were avoiding his establishment. Half his staff had quit when business started getting more difficult, which meant he needed more staff but couldn't pay them what they were worth just yet. Not until things picked up. Terra listened to him with a tilted head, half of his attention doing that creepy weird thing where it was kind of on you but a little... _past_ you as well. Like he was listening to three different conversations at once when you could only hear the one.

And he requested to work there anyway, he didn't mind the pay-cut, he just needed enough money to occasionally update his materia and equipment without straining his mom's finances. The proprietor, Mister Wu, seemed to actually _look_ at him for the first time, taking in the sensible boots, the well used knives, and the materia bracer of mastered materia, and said he would pay extra for successful deliveries too. And Terra agreed, shaking his hand, but asking for it in writing as well just in case his mom asked what kind of work he was doing and got funny about it. Mister Wu laughed and praised his forethought and responsibility before going and writing up an employee contract.

Given his age, he would not be expected to work evenings, just afternoons.

“Wall Market is not safe for little people past eight o'clock,” the old man informed them seriously, “I send you home at half-past seven. No lingering. Or trouble for you, and for me, and for your mom.”

“Yes sir,” the pre-teen nodded agreeably. “Do you want me to come back tonight or begin tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Make sure mother knows tonight. I will have uniform for you tomorrow,” Mister Wu promised, waving him away with a giant smile.

“Just like that,” Biggs said, almost disbelievingly as they began to walk back to Sector 5. Terra looked at him curiously. “Just like that you get a job? It's that easy,” he elaborated, not sure if he was impressed at Terra, or disgusted with himself as he dragged a hand through his hair. “Oh man, I can't believe I have to play catch up with a twelve year old.”

Terra stuck his tongue out at him.

* * *

The box was empty.

Terra sighed unhappily as he closed his beehive back up with a pout.

He'd researched the best way of making a beehive, even used a little bit of magic to make sure it was all perfect, but no bees had moved in. Aerith was still using her powers to make the flowers grow but bees would be better for both her _and_ her flowers, and it would give mom some honey to sell or use.

Maybe he should contact some of the people in Wall Market, it was said you could get _anything_ there if you knew the right people, and Terra had been talking to a lot of people while he worked at the Imperial Garden (he had even begun to cultivate some of Aerith's fancier flowers and plants to make it look the part, at least a little bit). He was pretty sure if he put the word in a few ears someone would be willing to smuggle some bees into Midgar for him. Maybe he could even get hold of a few plant clippings and seeds for other things. Mister Wu had been absolutely heart broken when a drunk had destroyed one of his bamboo chairs, sobbing about how you couldn't _get_ bamboo furniture in Midgar and he was never going to be able to replace it! Terra had gone out the back where the splinters were to see if he could maybe repair it, but it was too badly splintered and his repair spells didn't always work the right way. And it was already dead so he couldn't plant it and hope for new growth.

Aerith was playing with Kyrie down at the Church again. Biggs and Wedge had made friends with a plate girl who snuck down to see what the slums were like, so he couldn't hang out with them, or rather, he didn't want to hang around her. Jessie was like a pushier version of Aerith and since she wasn't his sister he didn't have to put up with it, so he wouldn't. Folia was still avoiding him and Aerith like she always had done. She'd started hanging out with a couple of the kids from Sector 6 and Terra had a bad feeling about them, but no attempts to warn her seemed to be working so.... He kept an eye on it. That was the best he could do. Who knew where Claude had gone. His parents decided to leave Sector and none of them had seen him since.

Reno was a continuous pain in the ass, but he'd at least learned to keep his hands to himself.

Tseng would occasionally show up to try and talk to them, but eventually he stopped bothering them about the Promised Land, instead sometimes he would ask Aerith how she was improving with her magic, which she was actually happy to talk about. And he would try to engage Terra about his inventions, praising his water filter and asking how it functioned, pointing out that Shinra's Urban Development department would _love_ to hire him as they still couldn't figure out how he'd managed to create it despite multiple members of staff coming to look at it.

As long as they didn't dismantle it they were fine to look at it but he refused to help Shinra with anything they might turn around some day to make a weapon with. So he kept his mouth shut.

He didn't know how they could make a _water filter_ dangerous, but he wouldn't put it past those awful people to figure it out.

Rude was the last one added to the roster, a big man with a bald head and photo-sensitive eyes that meant he wore sunglasses a lot, even inside the house. Unlike the other Turks, he presented himself at the house and introduced himself properly, informing the small family of three that he had been assigned as protective detail, and that Shinra hoped he would eventually help to convince them to assist them in finding the Promised Land. He was polite, offered to assist their mom with anything she needed, gave her a PHS number that would ring directly to him should there ever be an emergency – if he was in the city he would come immediately, if he was on another job, he would send either an appropriate SOLDIER or one of his colleagues to assist. He then gave both Aerith and Terra a PHS of their own for much the same reason, before excusing himself and leaving.

“I am ninety-eight percent certain these things are both bugged and tracked,” Terra announced as soon as the crunch of his footsteps had gone, holding the phone out as if it were a dirty sock.

Aerith scoffed, “Obviously. But, that could be useful.... in its own way,” she said, casting him a pointed glance. He scowled and looked away. She had, of course, followed him one day when he had gone to work and caught him going into Wall Market and _immediately_ held it over his damn head again. She had yet to collect on his debts recently. He was pretty sure she was saving them up to ask for something big and it was making him nervous.

He shook his head, “I'll pulling it apart and removing it,” he declared shortly, stomping off upstairs to the room he shared with Aerith. They were getting bigger now, he needed to start thinking about how to expand the house, or where to get a place of his own. But phone first.

Two hours later he was leaning back in his chair and shoving the magnifying glass away with a sound of bewildered disgust.

They hadn't put anything in there.

* * *

Kyrie's parents had been murdered.

She was beside herself, crying bitter angry tears into Aerith's skirts while her grandmother was off somewhere else, hunting out whatever people it was that killed her daughter and son-in-law. The fire had almost taken half the slums with them but thanks to the water filter no one felt particularly shy about jumping into the river and making a bucket chain to put out the worst of it. It didn't save the Caanans' though.

Terra couldn't do much for Kyrie, he left the nine year old in Aerith's hands and volunteered with the doc to heal people who had been hurt by falling debris, or burnt. A fully Mastered Restore materia would go an awful lot further than most would think.

* * *

The Angel of the Slums took out a whole gang by herself and redistributed their money across multiple Sector Slums, Mireille returned looking tired, angry, and a little sooty. She collected Kyrie from the twins and took her granddaughter to live with her and her girlfriend Marle in Sector 7, leaving Aerith to trail after her brother sadly the whole time, looking damp and miserable.

He took her with him to Wall Market and introduced her to Mister Wu who saw her long face and let her stay while he worked, bringing her the occasional traditional sweet treat, telling her stories of dumb customers and crazy antics until she was crying so hard she was laughing. The next day when she joined him, she brought the biggest armful of flowers and stole a bunch of glasses to put them on every table in the restaurant, and a pair of buckets to frame the front door, to say thank you to Mister Wu for cheering her up.

He even stopped by one of the clothing stores and got her a nice dress, and didn't even argue when she chose one out for him, beaming and giggling the whole while. At least she wasn't moping anymore so he let her dress him up, and didn't even fight when she pulled his hair down from its normal ponytail and began to play with it again.

She was almost back to her old self when Kyrie returned, she'd finally gotten permission from her grandma to play outside of Sector 7 so she'd come straight home. Terra watched, pleased, as his sister brightened back up and ran off with her bestfriend back to the church.

He didn't expect her to be escorted by Biggs, seventeen years old, taller, and a _lot_ more handsome than he remembered the dorky boy ever being, to suddenly appear, dropping an arm around his shoulders. “They look happy,” he observed, sounding pleased before he looked down at Terra with a grin. “Long time no see,” he greeted, genuinely happy to see him and oh no. His voice had got deeper and he had muscles now, his floppy hair was cut short and held off his face by a red bandanna, and this was – he could feel himself going pink before he quickly ducked free.

“Yeah. Where's Jessie and Wedge, you never go anywhere without them?” he asked, hoping that the plate-side girl hadn't seen that. Unlike both Biggs and Wedge, she had sharp eyes and _knew_ people, and Biggs had grown up really well and he did _not_ want her to tease him.

Biggs just shrugged, “Still in Sector 7. Wedge found cat heaven there and adopted half the stray population,” he explained with a grin that made the bottom of Terra's stomach do backflips as he quickly looked away before kneeling down to fuss with his shoe laces for lack of anything to focus on and still look natural while avoiding eye contact. “Jessie's up plate-side today, her mom got called into work so she's taking care of her dad today.”

He paused at the slightly pitying tone in the older boy's voice and looked up, “Is she okay?” he found himself asking. As much as he generally found Jessie's.... everything, a bit overwhelming (and annoying), she was actually a nice girl and he wouldn't wish any kind of ill on her.

Biggs grimaced a little, shrugging, “Her dad's a reactor engineer. He's... not doing so great. They're hopeful but, there's a chance his condition will worsen before he can get the next round of treatment. I was at a bit of a loose end so when Mireille asked me to make sure Kyrie made it to you two in one piece I didn't exactly have anything else to do,” he admitted casually with another one of those grins that made his stomach twist.

Terra nodded, “I'm glad. Aerith's been mopey ever since she left,” he admitted looking away.

“Glad I could help then,” Biggs declared cheerfully, “Hey, it's your birthday soon, isn't it? Wanna get something to eat while they play around? My treat,” he offered, still smiling.

He was agreeing before he could think better of it.

* * *

Tseng, Reno, and Rude showed up the morning of their fifteenth birthday to wish them well (Reno came to with _Aerith_ well, and quite pointedly snubbed Terra who flipped him the bird). They requested that Aerith and Terra help Shinra once again before delivering the small little presents each of them had gotten the two and saw themselves out. Rude had gotten Aerith a new staff weapon with materia slots, Tseng had gifted her with a Barrier materia as well as a Magnify materia – both of which would allow her to cast shields across multiple people. Reno had also bought her a generic pink teddybear with a powder blue ribbon. It was ugly as all hell but Aerith laughed and said it was the thought that counted.

Terra looked over at her sceptically as he held his own gift from Reno up, a small purple materia with a sticker attached to it reading ' _your sister has a useless materia so now you can match_ '. She laughed at him, “One man's trash is another one's treasure,” she sing-songed one of his own sayings back at him. He could definitely feel the potential in the little orb, but for what.... Oh well, one way to find out. He would equip the Pedometer materia later. Rude's gift of much nicer knives, and Tseng's of a _library card_ to one of the plate-side libraries as well as a train pass was better.

Their gifts from mom were much smaller but no less important. A new handmade blue and white dress for Aerith that she'd made the lace for herself, and a sturdy slightly armoured backpack with hidden pockets for Terra to carry his books home and go off adventuring in the junk heaps.

Their friends all showed up in the middle of the morning, Kyrie and her grandmother appearing first, Mireille laughing and moving to help mom with the food while Kyrie gushed over Aerith's new dress, the two rushing upstairs giggling while Terra rolled his eyes and helped to cook. Biggs and Wedge showed up as everything was being plated up and carried outside, the girls laughing as they braided flower crowns for each other, they brought their plateside friend Jessie with them, the brunette girl gasping in delight at all the flowers around them.

Terra flushed as he was given a tight hug by Biggs while in the middle of transporting various jars of preserve and thus unable to prevent the invasion of his personal space. Wedge obviously saw and immediately added his own hug to the horrible situation, physically picking him up and swinging him around while yelling out his own birthday greetings. Jessie was looking between the three of them with those sharp cinnamon brown eyes of hers and he felt himself getting redder as her smile went shark-like.

“Let me help you with those!” she cheered, bouncing forward to relieve him of a few jars, “Have to say, when Biggs said it was his super cute friend's birthday party I didn't expect to walk into paradise!” she enthused as both Terra and Biggs spluttered.

“I didn't say – ”  
“I am not cute!”

Wedge just shook his head, looking mournful as he clapped Biggs' on the back, “You've got it bad bro. Always have,” he lamented as mom came down the path, “Oh, Missus Gainsborough, do you need help with anything?” he asked brightly, no doubt hoping to sneak a few nibbles before the dishes reached the picnic they were having on the far side of the valley, amongst the flowers and in the sun.

Jessie laughed as she bounded away, and mom happily accepted Wedge's help in bringing the drinks out, leaving Terra and Biggs awkwardly on their own, with only a single jar of cherry preserve to defend himself with.

“Uhh...” Biggs scratched his cheek nervously, “Don't – don't listen to Jessie, you know how she – erm, I mean, she's a bit...” he quickly corrected, recalling how Terra had actually _avoided_ Jessie when he first started hanging out with her because her energetic personality put him off. “H-happy birthday, yeah? Fifteen today. Did you get any good gifts?” he asked hopefully, desperately trying to get back onto better territory.

He nodded awkwardly, “Y-yeah. Um, mom made me a new backpack, it's armoured,” he explained, glancing over to where Kyrie was arranging a crown made of white and yellow flowers on Aerith's hair, her tongue poking out as she carefully plaited his sister's hair into it as well. Aerith laughing as she happily braided a second crown, the one she'd already made in the nine year old's hair. He huffed a small smile, “Mom made Aerith a new dress. She also got some Barrier materia which'll be useful,” he admitted.

“Anything else? I doubt you _only_ got a backpack,” the seventeen year old grinned, and Terra felt that twist in his stomach again, watching as Jessie plonked herself down with Kyrie and Aerith, asking them something that had both girls beaming at her and reaching for the basket of flowers they had been working out of.

He shrugged a little, “A few things. I got a library card for a place plate-side, and a train pass. It'll be nice to get some better books, I've been thinking of setting up a hot-house for some medicinal plants,” he admitted, fiddling with the fabric on top of his jar.

Biggs was nodding as if it were the most interesting thing he'd ever heard which Terra _really_ doubted.

“Well, I'd be happy to take you when you want to go there. Jessie's shown us a lot of stuff plate-side, I can be your guide, just like at Wall Market,” he offered with a grin and a small playful nudge.

“That would be... nice, thanks,” he managed to get out inwardly cursing himself because _could he be any more obvious_. “We should get back to the picnic or they'll eat all the good stuff without us,” he said quickly, turning away to hurry up the path, listening to the older teenager splutter a little in surprise and hurry after him.

“Uh, if I've made you uncomfortable, I'm really sorry?”

“You haven't,” Terra quickly assured, feeling his face beginning to burn as Biggs studied him carefully, looking worried, before his eyes went wide and he too went red, looking away quickly and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uh, great, that's good, I'm glad,” he babbled.

Planet swallow him, please, just, open up beneath his feet and drop him into the Lifestream please. Any time now.

“So....” the seventeen year old continued, “Do you want to go plate-side tomorrow? Just us? I'll show you around?” he asked kind of hopefully, scratching his cheek nervously.

“Terra! Come sit! I need to do your hair!!” Aerith called from where she was sat with the girls, Kyrie imperiously coaching Jessie through braiding a bright yellow flowercrown. Saved by the _bell_.

He shoved the jar of cherry preserve at Biggs, “Can you give this to Mireille?” he asked before moving to join his sister who beamed at him and patted the grass in front of her. She had an incredibly elaborate flowercrown in her lap of white, lilac, and red flowers, undoubtedly for him. He sighed and sat down in front of her, already feeling her grab at his head and unclip his hair.

He had only ever cut his hair once and Aerith cried so much that he'd promised never to do it ever again. So now his hair was almost as long as hers but several shades darker, and just as wavy and curly.

She would be at this for a while, which was good, because it meant that he would have a chance to think without feeling like an absolute idiot. Biggs was.... a friend. And.... yeah, he grew up really _really_ hot. But. He was still the dumb boy who used to run around with a 'sword' made out of cardboard and play fight with Wedge, who cried when he got skinned knees, and called Terra 'Terror' like it was an insult when they were small. But he also walked with Kyrie to the church every day once he got that gun before he started hanging out with Jessie all the time, and would walk both her and Aerith back at night. He took Terra to Wall Market and pointed out all the places he should avoid, and walked with him to his job through the highway whenever Corneo's men set up tolls on the road. And sometimes he would even come and pick him up and walk him home after a shift too. He was really good with the littler kids too, playing with them, giving them piggyback rides, even fixing the shelters they'd built in the hideout, sometimes having to rebuild them if they'd collapsed. Terra had seen him arguing with Folia a lot about how her new friends were a bad influence. And Kyrie had loads of stories of him climbing up stuff to rescue one of Wedge's cats in Sector 7, and how he would help the old ladies with their shopping by carrying their stuff. He even put up with Aerith's wiles a lot better than most people, and he'd stuck with Wedge through absolutely thick and thin, he was a good friend.

And this was all without taking his general..... _person_ into account.

But he was seventeen and he lived in a different sector entirely, and he was pretty sure mom had never exactly approved of him _either_. She never said anything, but whenever he and Wedge dropped by to ask him out to play she always had that pinched look even as she said it was fine.

He _almost_ shook his head.

Why was he getting so worked up? It was just an offer to show him where the library was plate-side! It wasn't like he was asking him out on a date, don't be stupid! He was getting wound up and weird over nothing. Besides, Jessie was already going out with him so it wasn't like he even had a chance in the first place.

“Done!” Aerith cheered, only to slap his hand when he reached up automatically to touch, “Don't undo my hard work!”

“Sorry,” he grunted.

“Oooh, that looks so pretty!” Kyrie gushed.

“Not gunna lie, that _does_ look nice,” Jessie agreed almost breathlessly, “Biggs wasn't kidding when he said you were cute, holy shit.”

Terra went red and glowered at her.

* * *

It was a date, and he was a moron.

It took three of those trips plate-side, alone, with Biggs, before seventeen year old asked if it was alright to kiss him as they were coming back along Petal Lane in the dark. Terra had spluttered and recoiled and blurted out about Jessie in confusion, asking why he wanted to kiss him when they were already going out.

God, Terra felt like such a fucking _idiot_ when the dark haired boy burst out laughing and shook his head, explaining that, yeah, they did go out for a little bit but oh god, trying to keep up with her? No way. He liked cute quieter people, he admitted stepping into Terra's personal space before stating outright that he'd been asking him out on dates this whole time but, clearly hadn't been doing it right if he didn't even realise it. There was a lot of kissing after that, and Terra almost broke his curfew.

His library trips afterwards were.... a lot less productive, but a lot more enjoyable.

And he might have gotten in trouble for kissing behind the bookshelves.

With Biggs hanging around Sector 5 again, he finally managed to get through to Folia and she ditched her unpleasant friends. It was probably a good thing, not long after word got out that they'd started peddling for Corneo and half of them were strung out on Glint, the recreational mako drug that all the mako junkies took. Folia was still uncomfortable around both him and Aerith, but for Biggs she was willing to put aside her discomfort when it came to Terra, especially as they began work on constructing an _actual_ proper shelter for the kids. The shelter in the hideout collapsed so the kids didn't actually _have_ anywhere else to sleep.

Terra and Biggs hauled all the heavy machine parts and scrap from the building side – most of it ended up in various locations, but Terra knew he'd be able to use a lot of it so to his little farm it went, and if they took a bit too long coming back..... Only Folia knew and she wasn't about to call them on it since they were doing all the heavy lifting.

His days were pretty full now, he would work his vegetable patches and fields in the mornings, work for Mister Wu in the afternoons (Despite the end of the Wutai war and anti-wutaian sentiment causing trouble for Mister Wu the Imperial Garden was rapidly expanding as it gained a reputation in the Wall Market for being the only place that served _fresh_ , actual _fresh_ picked that day, food), and evenings he would spend reading or hanging out with Biggs (usually kissing but sometimes they went monster hunting together). Other days he would spend helping Folia with building things, running deliveries across multiple sectors at Mister Wu's request (he'd even had to take a food delivery up to the plate once), and he'd spend time with the kids telling them more stories, went to the trainstations plate-side and sang a bit to earn some extra gil for Folia's construction efforts, he finished mastering his third Cleanse materia and constructed another water filter, this time ear-marked for Sector 7 since he'd already made one for Sector 6 (he didn't know what had happened to it, but he was pretty sure Corneo's men stole it). He finally got hold of his bees, one of the smugglers delivering a quietly buzzing box and a bunch of seeds and cuttings to the back door of the Imperial Garden, gratefully tucking into a free meal and collecting his two-thousand gil payment before being on his way. It took a lot of care, but Terra managed to get the bees to accept the hive boxes he'd set up, and even his new crops were doing well. The bamboo was taking root beside the river behind the house, and he'd begun to plant wheat in one field while the smaller one next to the river became an allotment of various growing beds.

He was so wrapped up in everything, it took a while to notice that Aerith was upset.

Very upset.

Kyrie had apparently figured out that they were Ancients, and told Aerith to her face that she didn't want to be her friend anymore because it was weird and she wasn't human and it made her uncomfortable. And then she never came back.

Terra was furious.

So furious that Biggs had to practically drag him out of Sector 7 before he actually managed to catch up to the ten year old girl that made his sister cry. He, much like Terra, hadn't even noticed how upset Aerith was, hadn't realised that there was a problem even though he had noticed that Kyrie started to avoid him in the mornings.

“But why would she just.... drop Aerith?” he wondered as he steered Terra to a quiet corner of the playpark outside Wall Market, the fifteen year old bristling furiously. “It isn't like she's made any friends in Sector 7.”

He scoffed and kicked a rock hard enough to shatter it against a distant wall, “She figured out we're Ancients,” he spat, “Decided we were freaks and didn't want anything to do with Aerith anymore, as if she were a monster. What, just because we're not _human_ suddenly we're not good enough?” he growled, “She didn't seem to care so much when we were _feeding_ her, making sure her water was fucking clean, killing monsters for her. Aerith was _crying_. I can't believe I didn't notice,” he heaved, dragging both of his hands through his hair in distress as he paced the small space and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Is – that why Shinra keeps coming around after you?” his boyfriend asked slowly, placing his hands on Terra's shoulders, pulling him to a stop.

He nodded and turned to drop his face onto the taller boy's shoulder, feeling his arms come up to hug him properly. “Mom said that... we were born up North. Shinra killed our dad and dragged us back to Midgar. Aerith doesn't think much about it, she tries to forget but.... I can't. I just can't. Mom died because of them, they poisoned her and she died in a gutter and they won't leave us alone. I hate them.”

“Well.... For what it's worth? I don't care if you're an Ancient. You could be covered in cobwebs and I'd still think you were cute,” Biggs joked, dragging a reluctant laugh from his boyfriend. “Come on, let's get some of those Wutaian sweets, cheer your sister up a bit, yeah?” he suggested.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Hey, what are boyfriends for?”

* * *

Aerith withdrew a lot after Kyrie, and Terra found himself doing the same, try as he might. He didn't want his sister to be alone so he started spending more time with her, which meant less time for other people because he couldn't cut into the time he spent working, and he couldn't leave his plants, filter, or bees. Their sixteenth birthday came and went (the absence of Kyrie at the celebration almost set Aerith into tears once more but Wedge was quick to distract her with a story about the antics of his cats in Sector 7). The orphanage and school-house they'd been working on was coming along nicely, Aerith was happy to help with that so whenever he was at the Imperial Garden, she would be with Folia and the kids.

Outside the newly named Leaf House though, he didn't spend much time with other people. He felt bad about it but Biggs told him it was fine, he'd gotten himself a job in Sector 7 so it wasn't like he had much free time either. What evenings they could get together they made the most of.

It was really only a matter of time before Aerith caught them, and of course she held it over his head in all of her conniving gremlin glory.

(Admittedly at this point he didn't care if she told mom he was dating Biggs, but he _did_ care that she told their mother she caught him sucking the other boy's dick behind the car on Petal Lane.)

Which brought him to yet again wearing a dress, hair in elaborate braids and curls, grumbling in his workshop half of the Church. Half of him considered sneaking off at the first opportunity to get changed when Aerith wouldn't consider it reneging on their agreement, the other half of him wondered if Biggs would go all tongue tied and blushy and awkward again if he showed up in it that evening. It could be fun....

And then the ceiling caved in with a decidedly human sounding yell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bunny wouldn't leave me alone but was being SO uncommunicative. OTL
> 
> Finally wrote this sucker out though. Biggs/Terra isn't an endgame pairing, though they are cute aren't they? I will say I am contemplating a Tifa/Wedge pairing rn, though part of me also likes Tifa/Folia (high fem soft dancer with stronk martial artist bartender). Pairings aren't going to be a big part of the fic, but I'd like people thoughts and opinions anyway XDD


	2. Chapter 2

Aerith screamed and scrambled behind him as he raced over, but – nothing happened.

Roof tiles and shards of wooden frame clattered into her flower patch but the large black lump didn't move, or react, even as a couple of pieces fell on it. He drew one of his daggers, feeling his sister clutch at his arm behind him, the two of them edging forward warily to see.... a – a person?

“Oh!” Aerith gasped, she immediately tried to go to their side but Terra wasn't having _any_ of it.

“Aerith, we don't know who they are,” he hissed.

“But they might be hurt!” she said, pushing at his shoulder and pouting. He grimaced, concern warring with suspicion as he looked between his sister and the dark clad figure lying motionless on the floor.

“ _I'll_ check on them. You stay back, okay?” he ordered sternly, “And get your staff out, moron.”

She stuck her tongue out at him but did so anyway, gripping the weapon that Rude kindly got them tightly in both hands, Barrier materia shimmering with built up magic as she held the spell back but readied it none the less. Good. Terra carefully sheathed his dagger and crept up closer, scowling at the fallen man in black. To have come dropping in through the ceiling like that.... he had either been on a helicopter (unlikely, the sound of those things echoed unbelievably under the plate to the point where every single sector knew when one was under the pizza), or he'd dropped from the plate. Which..... it was unlikely he was alive and yet neither of them could feel him leaving for the Lifestream.

He was alive, and he clung stubbornly to that life with bright tenacity.

He wanted to say a human couldn't survive a fall like that, but the human body was _patently_ ridiculous and could survive some astonishing shit – and yet trip over a fold in the carpet and snap their neck. Still. Regardless, this guy dropped from the plate, hit their roof, went through it, and landed pretty hard in Aerith's flower bed. He _should_ be more injured than he actually was.

The Curaga he cast on the guy sank in happily, and he _felt_ the reaction, jerking his hands away with a quiet curse.

“What is it? What?” Aerith asked, excited but still, thankfully, doing as she was told and staying back.

“He's a SOLDIER,” he stated, placing a hand on his forehead and feeling him out, “....He's got a lot of mako in him. Like.... enough to put even the hardest Glint user in a coma,” he concluded with a grimace as he pulled his hand away, and flinched to see hazy glowing blue eyes open.

“...Heaven?” the guy murmured in a daze as Terra jerked away, jumping to his feet and backing away towards Aerith, arm out, stopping her from getting any closer even as he placed a wary hand on a knife.

“Nope,” his sister stupidly corrected, smiling at the SOLDIER from over her brother's shoulder, “Church in the slums.”

He rolled his head around to look at them, still _way_ out of it despite the Curaga having enough juice to kick-start his brain properly after being unconscious. “...Angels?” he continued, still confused. That was definitely the mako talking, both of them had gotten enough of that from the Glint junkies that littered the train stations (to the point where they often took the monster infested back routes these days rather than risk going near them).

“Nope,” his sister refuted, “Hey, are you sure that spell was strong enough? He sounds really out of it. Did you skimp out?” she scolded, frowning at him.

He scowled, “I used a Curaga, he's fine,” he snapped grumpily.

The guy hummed and wriggled a bit before brightening up, “Hey, yeah! I am! Wow!” he exclaimed loudly, drawing his knees and arms up before flipping to his feet, making his sister giggle appreciatively. She was so easily impressed by anyone that she hadn't grown up with – she'd seen both him _and_ Biggs, even Jessie and Folia, do similar things since they were kids but never giggled like _that_.

He shot his sister a scathing glower of warning, and caught the way she immediately went pink and looked away in confused embarrassment, hand going over her mouth. Normally he would have gleefully mocked her for getting all girlish and dumb over a cute boy, but he wasn't just _any_ cute boy. He was a SOLDIER, which meant he was one of Shinra's Dogs and absolutely not the kind of boy she was supposed to get giggly over. It wasn't safe. The Turks had their orders, but they were under a different administrative branch compared to SOLDIER as far as he knew, which meant he might have _different_ orders about how to bring them in.

“Thank you so much, oh man, a fall from that high, I should have been a goner!” the SOLDIER exclaimed as he patted himself down, picking out splinters of wood from his thick black hair. Terra hummed, still wary even as the guy took a look at them and his smile became a little strained, “I'm Zack. Zack Fair. Can I have your names? I have to repay you somehow.”

“I'm Aerith, this is my twin, Terra,” she chirped when it became quite obvious her brother wasn't going to answer.

He grinned at them, “Aerith and Terra, pretty names for pretty girls,” he enthused, and Aerith actually snorted as Terra went pink and scowled at her. “So, I said I'd repay you and I will,” the SOLDIER declared cheerfully, “how about.... one date? Each?” He'd cast a full Curaga, unless part of his brain was left on top of the church he should be fine, was it possible to be this stupid and still function as a human being? Aerith scoffed in disbelief behind him and the poor guy's grin faltered just a little bit at the lack of enthusiasm from them. “Uhh... together then? At the same time? I mean, I'm kind of a one woman guy but – ”

“I have a boyfriend,” Terra interrupted stonily, “And my sister isn't going anywhere with a stranger.”

“Ah, right, that's – good thinking, that's really smart and responsible, yeah,” Zack agreed, eyes widening with realisation as he dropped a fist into one hand.

Clearly this one didn't have an awful lot going on upstairs. Like one of those overbred show dogs from up on the plate, nice to look at but didn't understand the meaning of the word 'sit'. He sighed in disgust and gestured to the door, “Exit's that way. No need to thank us.”

Mister SOLDIER drooped like someone had just kicked his puppy, “Ah, yeah, okay. Um, nice meeting you,” he offered and began to walk – right into Aerith's flowerbeds.

“AH! Don't step on the flowers!” she exclaimed shoving past Terra to usher the black haired man away from her precious plants.

“Whoa! Sorry, sorry.” He staggered backwards and shuffled awkwardly as she immediately bent down to inspect any damage that might have been caused, Terra just watched in silence as the guy commented on how rare they were to see around Midgar, entirely unaware that Sector 5 was teaming with them thanks to him and Aerith (plants had also been growing in Wall Market now due to his coming and goings). He suggested selling them and Aerith laughed, telling him they already did and Terra even sold vegetables to the restaurants in Wall Market, fresh from the field.

“Oh man, fresh veggies, I haven't had that since I left home! I'll have to come try them some day,” he enthused, grinning at Terra from where he was crouched beside Aerith.

He hummed in response, still watching the two of them warily as Aerith opened up, almost like one of her beloved flowers, to the boy who fell from the sky. As Zack drew her out of her shell by being unabashedly interested in her thoughts and hobbies. He felt.... he felt good, and kind. Both of them could sense it, Terra better than Aerith, but in his opinion it meant little. Zack Fair worked for Shinra. It didn't matter how good or kind his presence felt when the same could be said of Rude and yet he still killed and kidnapped people for the Turks.

So when Zack said he should probably go back, he wasn't exactly unsurprised when Aerith said they'd show him the way back, positively beaming at Terra with that _specific_ look on her face that promised telling mom an awful lot of things he would rather she didn't if he didn't agree with her. He sighed in disgusted resignation and gestured them onwards as she laughed happily and grabbed SOLDIER-boy's arm.

He wondered somewhere in the back of his head as he held the door open for the two and hauled it shut behind them if Aerith was jealous of him and Biggs, and that was why she was reaching out so hard to this guy. With Kyrie's rejection of them, Aerith didn't have any friends she could really call _hers_. Biggs and Wedge were _his_ friends first and foremost. Folia was Biggs' friend and kind of liked them but it wasn't really the kind of relationship one could call friendly. Then there was the Turks, and neither of them would call anything they had with _those_ three (save perhaps Rude) anything akin to friendly.

Aerith was lonely, Terra concluded a little sadly as he incinerated the pair of hedgehog pies that jumped out from the trash before they could attack. And with everything he normally got up to, he wasn't as attentive to his sister as he perhaps should have been.

They took the short route back, by-passing the Glint junkies who mumbled and dribbled at them, much to Zack's disgust and uncertainty.

It should have been a quick job, get the meat head to the train station, say goodbye, and decide whether or not to carry on back home or go back to the church. But, one of the little brats had to go and snatch the guy's wallet – Aerith was too slow but Terra wasn't.

“Tai! What have I told you about pick-pocketing?” he demanded, scruffing the kid and hoisting him up off his feet. Giving him a little shake for good measure. The seven year old squawked and flailed, dropping SOLDIER-boy's wallet and making the man squawk in realisation as he rapidly patted himself down and found it missing, as if it weren't obviously on the floor in front of him. Tai babbled about how he'd been avoiding Corneo's toll by sneaking through the underpass only to have a monster jump out at him, his wallet got eaten in the scuffle as he got away but the doctor had medicine waiting for him and his mom couldn't afford to pay the price of it twice.

Terra sighed, “Aerith, you take him back plate-side. I'll get the medicine for Tai's mom and see him back home.” He should probably do something about Corneo's men while he was at it.... it was one thing to charge a toll to adults heading into Wall Market in the evenings, but something else entirely to try and extort money out of children in the middle of the day.

He didn't exactly feel good about leaving her alone with Zack but....

“If she's hurt in any way,” he warned the SOLDIER, narrowing his eyes.

“I'll protect her with everything I've got! Don't you worry!” he declared, thumping his chest proudly and grinning. Terra pursed his lips and squinted at him warily, before looking at his sister.

“Be careful, and keep your staff up,” he ordered, Planet knew she was too trusting sometimes.

“You worry too much! Go,” she ordered.

He huffed, dropping Tai to the ground and taking his hand, “Come on, I'll pay for your mom's medicine and take you home,” he promised.

* * *

Aerith had a new hair ribbon by the time he got home, a pretty pink number that she'd wrapped their mother's materia into and now wore in her hair. She also spent the whole afternoon sighing and giggling to herself, humming as she braided new baskets and worked in the garden. Zack was all she wanted to talk about.

Terra put up with it for as long as he could stomach, which was longer even than he thought he could because it was obvious his sister was happy and it wasn't like she could really talk about him to their mom (she disapproved of SOLDIER even more than Terra did). But eventually he did actually have to beg off in order to go and meet up with Biggs like they'd already planned, he was waiting in the playpark at Sector 6 and his reaction when he saw the dress was a bit unexpected.

He took one look and started laughing, “What'd she blackmail you with this time?” he asked hopping off the bench in order to give him a proper greeting.

Terra flushed, feeling a little foolish. Of course seeing him in a dress wasn't going to be a big deal, Aerith had been forcing him into them for as long as he and Biggs had known each other. “She caught us last time down Petal Lane. You know, when we were a bit busy,” he explained, hugging him back, feeling the minute flinch of mortification from the older teenager when he remembered exactly what they'd been _doing_ on Petal Lane last time they'd seen each other.

“Oh hell,” he moaned, dropping his head down to rest in the crook of his neck. Terra laughed, patting his back.

“I don't know why you're complaining, I'm the one she's blackmailing,” he laughed.

Biggs huffed a little laugh, hands trailing down his back to rest on his hips, “Oh believe me, I'm not complaining about this. At all. You look amazing,” he complimented, kissing the side of his neck, “But if you hate it that much, you can always take it off back at mine...” he trailed off meaningfully, peppering the side of his neck with slow and soft kisses that made Terra's stomach curl pleasantly with a kind of nervous anticipation. He had never gone back to Biggs' place, there was kind of an unspoken understanding that if they did they... would definitely be doing a lot more than kissing. They'd been going slow out of respect for Terra's age, but it had been over a year since they'd started dating and things had slowly been heating up. It was the.... logical next step, a natural progression and –

He hummed, tilting his head back to give him more space, “I'd love to go back to yours, but do you want me to take it off?” he asked breathlessly, feeling his boyfriend's grip on his hips tighten briefly.

“I'll take whatever you're willing to give, sweetheart, you know that,” he muttered against his neck, nuzzling into his collarbone. “How about it? Do you want to go back now, or how does dinner first sound? You're all dressed up after all.”

“Food sounds good,” he sighed, smiling as his boyfriend kissed his cheek and stepped back, taking his hand.

* * *

Weird stuff was happening at Shinra, Tseng swung by to warn them that the majority of the Turks were being wrapped up in internal investigations and that they would unfortunately have to fend for themselves for a while. That was fine by Terra, it wasn't like they did much beyond anyway, just scare all their friends away. But it was a worrying sign of things getting weird.

There was a strange sense of anticipation coming from the Planet, that same feeling he felt all those years ago, the build up to a wave of change. But still small and weak right now.

It made his skin crawl to think too much on.

The assassination attempt of President Shinra, the attempted seizure of control at Junon's mako cannon, two dead first class SOLDIERS – which was no small feat, and yet information was so thin on the ground it made his well honed Shinra-BS instincts scream 'cover up'. People were going missing. The Wutai war was over but fighting continued. And now there were whispers of an Anti-Shinra group, AVALANCHE, throughout the slums. Whispers that they had company secrets, that several people who'd gone missing were working for them but were _different_ , inhuman, that they didn't recognise friends or family.

“If this is just the beginning,” he whispered quietly, burrowed under blankets and wrapped up in his boyfriend's arms, “I'm scared of what's to come.” So much so it felt like he couldn't stop shaking, he felt sick with it, a deep burning acid pain crawling up his throat that left him feeling ill for days, and often snappish and clingy in turns. Aerith's seeming wilful ignorance of it, her determination to focus entirely on her budding romance, on playing at being _human_ , just made him more irritable and often sent him looking for further work, since Biggs' new job also took up much of his time as well.

He ended up applying for a bartending position at the Honeybee Inn, and got a fantastic reference from Mister Wu who even went in person to give the owner, Andrea Rhodea, his personal commendation. Outside of the stage and his working hours, the dancer looked almost tired in the harsh morning light as they sat on the roof at the back of his establishment for his employment interview. Terra was considerably younger than he would have liked, but finding good staff, especially ones so well thought of that their employers would come in person to provide character references, was like finding pearls in pig-swine.

It ended up being a bit more of an informal chat than an interview, and the older gentleman had been astonished to learn that Terra actually had his own bee-hives in Sector 5, tickled almost pink by the very idea, and very interested to learn that the majority of the fresh ingredients used by the Imperial Garden were ones that he and his sister had grown. He got the job, but Mister Rhodea insisted on speaking to his mother before anything was finalised, which resulted in a somewhat awkward walk home and Terra having to incinerate a few wererats before they could take a chunk out of his new employer.

Walking past the Leaf House was somewhat entertaining as Folia startled so badly she slopped the bucket of water she was holding all over herself.

It was definitely something to watch Mister Rhodea charm his mother into giving her permission for him to work evenings at the bar in Wall Market. It involved a lot of reassurances and his mother huffing and grumbling and dismissing a lot of the suggested protections with 'Oh he can handle himself in a fight I'm sure, what I'm worried about is – '. His mom was still under the impression he was an innocent virgin who'd never been flirted at his life and the look of blatant hilarity on Mister Rhodea's face whenever she turned her back was a difficulty of his own not to respond to. It was honestly surprising, he hadn't exactly been discreet about spending most of his nights at Sector 7 lately, and his mother was definitely not a stupid woman. Wilful ignorance, or had Aerith been bullshitting her a hell of a lot better than Terra anticipated?

Either way, he introduced Mister Rhodea to his bees, the man absolutely loved them and the taste of fresh honey that Terra offered him. For that alone the man agreed to hire him, announcing that he had been blessed with new inspiration, yes! Back to the Inn! He had a new performance to plan! Drinks to design – house specials, yes, the very drinks that Terra would be serving, and of course, a new uniform needed to be made for the littlest of their sweet honeybees.

* * *

Zack was visiting.

Terra woke up to Aerith whirling around their shared room as she tried to get herself prettied up, not being particularly quiet even though he had come in at four o'clock that morning, some – he checked the clock – four hours ago. Usually she was more considerate but, _Zack_.

He grabbed the end of her loose hair as she shot past, making her yelp and turn to hit him.

“Wear the pink dress,” he groaned into his pillow, “Matches the hair ribbon he got you. Don't bother with make up. Brush your hair. And remember your staff,” he added grumpily, burying himself back down in his blankets and rolling to face the wall.

He felt her plant a sloppy kiss of gratitude on his cheek before she went to do just that, much quieter now that she had a working plan. He fell back asleep before she even left their room.

* * *

“Oh?” Aerith cooed, peering around Zack's arm to see the uncomfortable looking blond boy not far off her in age, maybe a little younger, “And who is this?” she asked curiously, fighting to keep her disappointment out of her tone. She had been hoping to spend some time alone with Zack.

The SOLDIER grinned at her, “This is my buddy Cloud. I thought it'd make Terra a bit uncomfortable to be a third wheel, and since she's a lot like Cloud in personality, I figured they'd get along,” he explained cheerfully, peering around her as if expecting to see her little brother glaring at him with steak knives between his fingers through the kitchen window (he had done that once, when Tseng had shown up, the look on his face when her brother made some obviously violent gestures in his direction had been _hysterical_ ).

She giggled a little, “Oh, Zack, I'm sorry you dragged your friend down here for nothing. Terra's sleeping. New job on the night-shift.”

“New job?” the handsome young man asked curiously, still all easy going smiles even as his little blond friend began to look increasingly uncomfortable. Aww, Zack was right, he really was like Terra! They even turtled up the same way when they felt uncomfortably like they were intruding.

“Uh huh. Wall Market,” she chirped, watching as the two boys jerked and the blond one went pink while Zack went pale.

“Is that _safe?_ ” he blurted, “Not that Terra isn't terrific with materia or those knives of hers, but Wall Market is – ”

“Terra's been working there since we were twelve,” she pointed out, watching as they both went pale before she clapped a hand over her mouth and laughed, “As a chef! Goodness! Get your minds out of the gutter! There's plenty of respectable establishments there too! Terra works afternoons at the Imperial Garden, half of the vegetable patch on the top-field go to that kitchen. Evenings are now bartending at the Honeybee Inn, it's a cabaret theatre. But it's open pretty late, and the serving staff have to stay and clean up at the end of the night. Dancers get to just go home,” she explained cheerfully as she bounced around Zack to pat at his blond friend, “Don't worry about us. We've been living in the slums for years, we know how to stay safe, promise,” she added with a bright smile at Zack.

He laughed, “Can't help but worry. You and your sister are hella cute, and there's a lot of bad people in the world.”

She was totally going to tease Terra about this later, probably in front of Biggs, she'd never seen him get jealous but she was _pretty_ sure it made sex more enjoyable, right? That was what her books said. “That's sweet of you to say. But really. I think Terra's probably one of the scariest things under the plate, I pity anyone trying anything. Even the Turks steer clear these days.” All except for Rude, but that was because he was polite and Aerith liked him best, so Terra tolerated him most.

“Turks?!” Zack blurted, making her laugh in relief. So he hadn't known?

She nodded with a small shrug, “Our dad was an important researcher. Mom helped with a few studies after he died but she passed away too. Elmyra takes care of us now, and sometimes Tseng drops in to see how we are. Terra hates him,” she admitted breezily, sticking close to the truth but also leading them in the wrong direction. When she knew Zack better, when she trusted more, then she might tell him. She wasn't like Terra. Terra who would jealously guard his heart with fire and ice and that vicious tongue of his until he decided he liked you, and then he would trust you with everything. Would walk through fire and broken glass on bare feet for you.

“Oh man,” Zack moaned, digging his hands into his hair, “Am I gunna get the _Shovel Talk_ from a _Turk_?!” he exclaimed.

She burst out laughing.

* * *

She took both Zack and his friend to the church, working hard to include Cloud in their conversations so he wouldn't feel left out, Zack quickly caught on to what she was doing and beamed at her brightly enough to light the underplate and she felt her heart do fluttery somersaults as he followed her lead.

By the time they reached the church, the two boys were laughing and play fighting, Zack being oh so careful with his enhanced strength as the two play-wrestled, reminding her of Lucy's large friendly mongrel and her more recently adopted ginger kitten. It was adorable but she didn't think either of the boys would appreciate it if she pointed it out to them.

Cloud was appropriately awe-filled when he saw the secret flower garden in the church, Zack proudly explaining (probably not for the first time) how he came crashing in through the roof to land in the flowers. But it was pretty clear to her at least that his spiky blond haired friend was much more interested in Terra's workshop corner than her flowers once he spotted it. Zack pouted horribly about being snubbed but she thought it was cute, Cloud was clearly pretty mechanically minded, he managed to identify what Terra was attempting just by looking at his boards and half-finished projects when even Tseng had scowled in uncomprehending annoyance, taking pictures to forward onto Shinra.

They had been there for about maybe three hours, Aerith bringing out her picnic basket that she'd filled with tea, fruit, and and sandwiches, when Terra arrived.

Zack blinked, Cloud blinked, Terra yawned, and Aerith giggled.

“Uh...” Zack managed, gaining a tired frown from her very obviously _male_ brother in his black t-shirt, green button down, and faded blue jeans.

Terra sighed, “Let me guess, you still thought I was a girl?” he asked rhetorically as he headed over, leaned over Aerith, and collected the cup of tea she passed up to him with a beaming grin.

Zack scratched the back of his head, “Y-you make a really cute girl?” he offered, still sounding bewildered. Cloud just looked between them with wide blue-blue eyes as Terra rolled his eyes hard enough to fall out of his skull and inhaled his tea.

“Aerith blackmailed me. I'm not a woman,” he assured the pair before handing the cup back, “She'll get you two too. Run away now before you end up in make-up and heels.”

She outright cackled at that, “Aww! But you look so cute! And Biggs doesn't complain!”

“He's known us since we were eight, Aer. It'd be weird if he did at this point,” her brother scoffed before frowning at Cloud, “Who is this?” he asked warily, narrowing his eyes.

Zack tensed up a little but grinned, “My best buddy Cloud. I thought you might feel a bit uncomfortable third wheeling so I asked if he'd be willing to hang out with us, plus you two are pretty similar, I thought you'd get along pretty well!” he laughed, nudging his buddy who flushed and looked down, quickly shoving his sandwich into his mouth so he wouldn't have to reply.

Terra gave the blond a doubtful look before eyeing Zack, “A bit mean to your friend there, dragging him along with the sole purpose of distracting me away from keeping my sister safe.”

“S-safe?! _Distracting?!_ ” the SOLDIER spluttered, genuinely offended.

“Terra!” Aerith scolded swatting at him.

“Ow! Hey! What am I supposed to think?” he demanded indignantly, dancing backwards from his sister as she jumped to her feet and tried to smack him again.

“Not everyone is out to get me!” she cried out in exasperation, lunging for him only to have her brother, the irritating _monkey_ , take a page out of Reno's book and climb one of the columns and hide up out of her reach.

“They're Shinra, Aer!” he exclaimed in exasperation, “Excuse me for being rightfully cautious given their general _everything!_ ”

“I – I should go,” Cloud muttered miserably, hunching up.

Aerith immediately whipped around, “Oh, oh no, no Cloud, you don't have to go because my little brother is a _rude_ idiot!” she snapped, glaring over her shoulder at him as she quickly rushed over to the shy blond. She took it back, the two were nothing alike, her brother was an ogre and Cloud was an absolute sweetheart.

He threw his hands up, “How am I being an idiot?” he exclaimed, “Rude, yes, I'll grant you. I'm an asshole to everyone.”

Zack grumbled, folding his arms, “Well, at least you admit it,” he muttered, shifting protectively beside his uncomfortable buddy as Aerith clutched at the blond's arm. “Seriously, Shinra protects people, they're the good guys! There's plenty of heroes in Shinra!” It – might have been more believable if he didn't sound like he was also trying to convince himself at the same time.

He didn't see Aerith flinch and tense at that impassioned plea, but Cloud definitely did, he also definitely saw the way the brother, Terra's, expression went dark and shuttered.

“Terra, don't! Please!” Aerith begged, dropping Cloud's arm and rushing forward as her brother jumped down from his perch, something very ugly on his face as he glared at Zack who seemed to realise he had absolutely definitely put his foot in it and wasn't sure if he should politely bow out or reach for his sword now. He was a SOLDIER Second Class, but he'd admitted to Cloud on their way down that Terra's spellcasting had really impressed him, it was one of the few things that could genuinely put down a SOLDIER without the need for enhancement, and the fact that the slum dweller had Mastered materia meant he was more skilled at magic than most in the army, and definitely better than Zack himself.

The twins held eye-contact for an uncomfortably long time before the brother yanked his arm free and stormed to the back of the building, vanishing into one of the back rooms.

Aerith sighed and slumped.

“S-sorry.... I didn't realise it would set him off so bad....” Zack muttered, upset to see his girlfriend so down.

“It's.... you couldn't have known. I didn't tell you,” she admitted turning to them with a sweet yet sad smile. “You see.... our father was an important researcher for Shinra before we were born. He... objected to some of the early processes to create SOLDIER, and he left the company. Not long after we were born, Shinra came to speak with him again. Something happened, and he died. Terra and I were taken to Midgar by our mother where we lived in the Science department until we were seven. Mom was helping with a few of their projects but she got sick, really sick, and took us away from the tower to the slums before she died. Elmyra took us both in afterwards. Terra blames Shinra for what happened, he's scared that if we have anything to do with them again, I'll die next. Or that he'll die and I'll be left alone,” she explained, smiling in an awkward heartbreaking combination of embarrassment and sadness. “He doesn't object to you as people, Zack, Cloud. He actually likes you, hard as it is to believe,” she laughed, turning away from them to look at the door where she could feel her brother crying in the belltower on his own, “He just.... gets scared when Shinra comes into our lives.”

“A lot of people in the slums are like that, I guess,” Zack mused, stepping up behind her and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “It's okay. I won't hold it against him.”

* * *

Terra didn't rejoin them but that was okay, she knew he wouldn't. She felt him pull himself together and go, the fact that he did meant that he trusted Zack enough to leave her alone with him – something she told the SOLDIER as they packed up to head to Sector 5 Train station. He was just really bad with words.

She also made pains to ensure that Cloud knew he was welcome, always, even if he didn't come with Zack. She quite liked him and thought they could be great friends too, and, she admitted, Zack wasn't wrong when he said that he would probably get along with Terra – if her brother ever pulled his head out of his ass enough to stop being so suspicious of everyone in a uniform. Thankfully her cheeriness put them both at ease and they left with smiles, flowers, and a promise to return another day as she waved them goodbye at the trainstation, waiting until they were out of sight before her smile and her arm dropped down to sit with her heart somewhere down by her feet.

She hurried after her brother.

He was in his top fields, curled up in a patch of sunshine not far from his beehives. Poppies, daisies, dandelions, and buttercups had sprouted up around him as he stared listlessly at the legs of his closest hive.

She sat down next to him and then leaned over to hug him, pressing her whole weight down as she nuzzled into him. And then she waited.

He got like this sometimes. When their mother and Shinra were mentioned, when people praised the company for whatever reason and he had to bite his tongue and hold back all the damning words of what he knew, when he had to bow his head and not scream at the steel sky. They were two halves of a whole, she knew, a living balance. They were always going to be polar opposites but with just that little smudge of similarity. While she was open and caring to everyone when they met, Terra was closed off and difficult to trust; where as she was content to take things as they came, her brother pushed and strived to make better; she was small and scared and easily put off, her brother was stubborn and strong and didn't let anything hold him back; and while she could accept that even the people she trusted could hurt her even accidentally, her brother couldn't, when he let people in close he let them in close to his very soft vulnerable heart. He guarded himself so much because it _hurt him_ so much more. If she was the soft one with the hidden core of steel, then he was the hard one with the soft gooey centre.

Eventually he shifted and wrapped his arms around her tightly, hiding his face in her hair.

The flowers around them bloomed, and she accepted his silent apology, squeezing back tightly.

* * *

Terra's uniform for the Honeybee Inn was very nice. Because he was so much younger than the 'Honey Boys', and wouldn't be dancing, his was tailored a little differently and had different patterns on it. Mister Rhodea beamed as he presented it to him with a flourish, informing him happily that he and his sister's gardens had been the primary inspiration for the change of uniform that the serving staff now possessed. Because truly, a honeybee was fed by flowers, were they not? So surely those who served food and drink could rightfully be called the flowers of their little beehive no?

While they were still clad in black and gold, the designs had moved away from the art-deco styled lines and geometry that the Honeyboys and Mister Rhodea (“Andi, or Andrea to you, my flower.”) wore, instead the yellow outfit had curling art-nouveaux swirls of black across it that made his waistcoat look like actual flower petals. Unlike the dancers, his white shirt was fairly simple and he wore a black neck-scarf with a golden honeybee pin at his neck.

The rest of the serving staff wore similar, and they looked quite pleased with the change. He learned that they were often mistaken for the dancers and had to deal with some harassment for that, but on the other hand, the dancers also had to deal with customers demanding drinks and food from them when they were busy with other things. Hopefully now with the new uniforms the divide was clearer.

Then Terra presented them with the flowers he'd brought from home at Aerith's insistence.

He was still feeling a little off kilter from his minor breakdown that day against Zack, the man's words echoing in his head about how there were still good people in Shinra unsettling him more than he could possibly say. The simple happiness that everyone in the Inn radiated when he presented them with the flowers was more soothing than he could express as he found himself receiving many kisses on the cheek and forehead as the flowers were collected. They went into hairpins, shirt lapels, hat bands, and those that remained ended up in various glasses on the tables.

And then it was time to finish setting up and get going. Tonight was going to be a busy one, as always.

He shadowed Benji behind the bar, the older man taking him under his wing and showing him what to do, how certain drinks were made up, the lot. It was very different from working in the kitchen but Terra had steady hands and it was quite easy to keep up at first as most of the patrons that came in were too busy exclaiming excitedly over the new uniforms and the flowers.

The atmosphere became decidedly charged when a severe looking woman swanned in wearing a loose kimono, waving a fan around as she strutted through the throngs of customers straight to the bar. Benji was busy with a difficult customer and hadn't seen her, so Terra put down the glasses he had been unloading from the washer immediately to attend to her.

“Welcome, Miss,” he greeted, deciding to hedge his bets on her age as he knew that older women preferred you err'd on the younger end. “What can I get for you?” he asked politely, smiling slightly as she paused and eyed him up and down.

“Hmm, I thought you were one of Wu's little ducklings,” she observed with glitteringly intelligent eyes.

He nodded with a smile, “Mister Wu has been very good to me. I do still work with him in the afternoons.”

She leaned forward, the edge of her kimono slipping dangerously as she traced his cheek with her fan, “Hmm, perhaps if you're looking for more work you might make a turn for me?” she mused with a teasing smile that made the hair on the back of his neck stand a little. He didn't know who this lady was but he didn't get the typical predatory vibes from her, she was _definitely_ predatory but not in the normal way. More of a.... of a 'I can use this' kind of way?

He kept the smile on his face, “I doubt I would be skilful enough for such a thing, Miss.”

Her eyes lit up in amusement and she threw her head back for a hearty laugh, “Where on _Earth_ did Andi find a thing like you?” she cackled, “Plum wine, boy, and my usual food order,” she added casting a smile at Benji as he practically materialised at Terra's side with a smile and a bow.

“Of course, Madam M, right away. Come, I'll show you how to send off a food order, you haven't done it yet have you?” his senior asked, knowing full well he'd done so several times that evening as he ushered the sixteen year old away to the tills. “Be careful of Madam M,” he whispered as he gestured at Terra to start ringing it up. “She runs the massage parlour on the road between Sector 5 and 7, opposite the Imperial Garden. It's just a hand massage parlour, but she's one of the Big Three, and she definitely has a hand in some of the prostitution rings around here. The place next door is a brothel that she runs.”

Terra nodded slowly, “I'll keep it in mind. What's her usual order?”

“One of the wutaian fruit wines, and the honey-roasted snack menu. You can usually tell her mood by the types of wine she goes for. Plum means she's in a good mood. Cherry means she's upset. If she orders any spirits, do _not_ make small talk. Get her the order immediately, even if you have to take the bottle out of my hand. I'll understand,” he whispered as the till opened and a receipt was printed. “Now, she's like Chocobo Sam and Don Corneo, they don't pay. Their receipts get marked down like this,” he explained taking one of the stamps that was above the till, this one bore a flower, the receipt was stamped, and then tucked into the receipt draw. “Flowers are for Madam M and anyone she brings in with her. The chocobo is for Sam and his people. The crown is for Don Corneo, and obviously the bee is for Andi and his.”

“And the gil one?” Terra asked, peering at the last stamp.

“Shinra,” Benji explained, showing it to him, “Sometimes the executives come in for the show. Director Palmer is a big fan.” Terra went horribly tense. “No worries, Wu told us about the recruitment attempts, if we see them come in I'll shuffle you out back to help behind stage, okay?”

He nodded, relieved.

“Good. Now get the lady her drink.”

* * *

He met Chocobo Sam later that evening, he'd already met the man in passing when he approached him to ask if he would be interested in feed for the birds – vegetation from his farm. He was turned down but it was understandable as the man was very finicky about the health and care of his birds, he had his own contacts to ensure that the food and care they received was to his personal standards. Still, the two recognised each other and he made some polite small talk about Terra's farm and was very surprised to hear that all the fresh food that made the Imperial Garden famous was from him.

He left to watch the performance with a promise to talk to him later about that business proposition.

The last person he met, and one he really wished he hadn't, had been Don Corneo himself.

The blond mafia king had come swanning into the establishment with a girl on each arm, set himself down pride of place, kicked the vase of flowers down with a loud complaint about how he couldn't see the performance and then spent the whole night running the staff ragged and fondling one or both of the women he brought with him rather than watching the stage.

Benji tried to keep him from having to serve that table, but eventually it became a choice of whether or not to send Terra or one of the girls to the infamous letcher. It was really no choice, Terra decided as he took the drinks tray the second Benji's expression became panicked, looking between their youngest server and Lalia, who was a very pretty girl from Mideel, all honey dark skin, hair, and eyes.

He headed over to the table without a word and began to set the glasses down, making sure to angle himself so he wouldn't obstruct the Don's view of the stage. It went fine, the man didn't even notice him.

After that, Benji relaxed a little about sending him over, he would still try to have a senior server handle it, but with the heaving numbers, and their other VIPs, Terra ended up making multiple trips to the Don's table rather than one of the girls going, and that was fine – until the Don noticed him.

He'd just set down another of the man's preferred cocktails when a hot, pudgy hand closed on his wrist.

“Well, aren't you a pretty little thing?” the don mused, reeling him in closer until he was almost bent over the poor woman between him and the don, he could feel how tense she was under him, but it was nothing on how tense he was as the greasy blond man examined his face. “Didn't know men came in that kind of flavour,” he said consideringly.

It felt like there was slime oozing across his senses, a similar kidney to Hojo and just as insidious for all that their obsessions were different. Terra shuddered in the criminal's grasp.

Andrea was quick to his rescue, “How are you finding tonight's performance, Don?” his boss enquired, appearing behind the blond man who jumped and let his prey go. “Off you trot, Flower, I don't pay you to look pretty young one,” he chided with a warning frown. Terra nodded and quickly left to the sound of Don Corneo laughing and making idle commentary on whether or not it was worth his time to see if the grass really was greener on the other side. Andrea chuckled and said that it had always been his preference so he couldn't possibly say, but such explorations were best kept in privacy, no?

Benji shuffled him into the back with a white face and shaking hands where the dancers quickly whisked him into the storage rooms.

* * *

He managed to avoid the Don and his men for three months, during that time Zack visited twice more, and Cloud came once.

Terra eventually worked himself around to apologising to the blond haired boy.

Cloud forgave him and the two very awkwardly attempted to talk while Zack and Aerith made googoo eyes at each other, making their plans to expand Aerith's flower business to above the plate – which would be both a relief and send Tseng into fits as he tried to work out protection detail for her. Eventually he found some mutual ground with the blond soldier when it came to mechanics and what he was working on, he recognised the equipment Terra was making for his efforts in recreating a mead recipe he found in the library.

They got to talking about that, which was when Terra learned that Cloud was actually from the region his recipe originated in, Nibelheim. Apparently mead was a seasonal drink where different ingredients would be added to be drunk at different times of year, his mother apparently made her own as well which was a pleasant surprise, and his friend Tifa, the mayor's daughter, was also hugely into mead and distilling alcohol. It was how her family earned their money, so he'd learned some to impress her.

The two got so caught up in what they were doing that Zack eventually had to interrupt them to remind Cloud that he needed to get back to barracks before curfew. Aerith teased them about being giant nerds the whole way to the trainstation, Cloud getting defensive while Terra shot back that not everyone wanted to be a trophy wife when they grew up. His sister's gasp of outrage luckily drowned out the laughter from the other two as she chased her brother, shaking her staff, as he taunted her about being old and ugly and how no one would want a trophy wife with boobs down by her knees!

The good day was what made him slip.

He didn't keep his eyes and ears open, and Don Corneo's men caught up with them on their way back to Sector 5, politely inviting Terra for a meeting with their boss.

He managed to talk them into letting his 'friend' go, he didn't know how the idiots bought that because he and Aerith were _definitely_ twins, and looked _very_ much alike, but they did. So while Terra was practically frog-marched to Wall Market, he could be assured that his sister was calling Tseng, Zack, Biggs, just about anyone and everyone she could get hold of.

A few people he knew from Wall Market saw him, and their expressions immediately turned to horror and sadness, he saw one of the dancers start to cry and as much as he wanted to reassure them, the meat heads weren't letting him go anywhere but where they wanted.

He got a glimpse of scarlet in the corner of his eye, and suppressed a smirk.

There was only one person in Midgar with hair _that_ garish shade.

Unfortunately it meant he was never going to live this incident down but, it was to be expected. He would have to find some dirt on Reno later himself.

Corneo was just as disgusting this time as he was last as Terra was shown into his office.

He was also _grabby_.

Terra had to fight his urge to recoil as the greasy little man ran both hands down the side of his waist, and sniffed at him appreciatively, commenting on how he even smelt like a woman on top of having such a pretty feminine face. Really, pop him into something lacy and he doubted anyone would notice. Guys don't really do it for him, they stink, they're hairy, far too chunky too. But, maybe he could be convinced about boys, the ones that hadn't _ballooned_ out into something disgusting.

“Titties will always be the best, but, I can forgive a lot for a beautiful ass,” he laughed disgustingly, slapping Terra's ass hard enough that he almost cast a Firaga in the middle of the office.

“Strange how I've never known this one to forgive anyone touching their ass,” Reno announced cheerfully, barging into the office without so much as a 'by your leave'. The Don spluttered in horror to have a fully blown and uniformed Turk march into his territory like he owned the place. “S'up Buttercup. I'm surprised you haven't incinerated half the Sector by this point,” he admitted, looking at Terra who took a deep breath, and pushed a sleeve up to reveal the Mastered materia.

“It was _tempting_ ,” he admitted slowly through gritted teeth. “But I'm not about to borrow trouble.”

Translation: Corneo is highly connected, those connections will be pissed, it would put Aerith and Elmyra in danger. The satisfaction of immolating this pathetic greasy little wretch would not outweigh the trouble that doing so would cause, never mind the power vacuum that it would leave behind, destabilising the economy and power-structures of Wall Market. Not that it was always a bad thing, however, it being such a huge source of revenue in Midgar that they both knew paid tithes to Shinra in order to continue operating without oversight, meant that if the Don vanished there would be one hell of a bloodbath over who controlled the Sector.

And that would spill out into the surrounding Sectors, both of which had very high numbers of children and elderly, as well as vital services. Sector 5 had the clinic and the Leaf House, as well as Terra's farm, that made it hugely valuable because there was a steady source of safe food and medical care, as well as children who could be used as hostages and were massively vulnerable. Sector 7 had their Weapons' shop, it was the best under the plate regardless of what Wall Market liked to believe – they may have gotten more in terms of shipments from outside Midgar, but Sector 7 managed to forge and maintain weapons to a much higher and better degree. Sector 7 also had the most prolific information network in any of the slums. Whatever you wanted to know, someone in Sector 7 knew a guy who knew a guy who could answer that question for you.

Reno tilted his head, and Terra could see the disbelief in his eyes. After all, he'd been willing to set Reno on _fire_ when they first met, and spent much of his childhood throwing mudballs and insects of the biting and stinging variety at Tseng. All evidence suggested that Terra didn't give a damn about causing trouble. But that evidence was also based upon a child who hadn't yet learned how politics worked, and the impact of whose actions were restricted, and the punishments for which were minor. This? Could spill out and cause hundreds of deaths across three Sectors, maybe more. Who knew.

The Turk shrugged dismissively, “Whatever, Buttercup, get outta here, Shinra's got some _business_ with the Don,” he declared with a wolfish grin as he turned to the sweating blond mess.

The infantry escorts quickly hustled him out of the building, and Terra muttered his thanks to them once they were out of sight of Corneo's lackeys. Next time they dropped by the church he'd have those Wutaian sweets for them instead of his usual mudballs. At least he was assured now that Corneo wouldn't dare approach him again, Reno acting so buddy buddy with him while casually dropping the surprise that he _hadn't_ destroyed the entire Sector was entirely a powerplay to get the greasy mafia don to back off. It let the man know that Terra was familiar with the Turks, they were familiar with him, he was _dangerous_ , and now he knew that Corneo was connected to Shinra – which would piss off a lot of his business associates under the plate, as well as many of his own men who hated Shinra with a passion too.

He didn't run through Wall Market, that would look like he'd escaped. His walking through would go a lot further to reassure people that knew him.

“Terra! Terra! _Are you alright? That horrible dog didn't touch you did he?_ ” Mister Wu exclaimed in Wutaian, rushing down the street in his dark blue silk Tang shirt that he only wore when working. The elderly Wutaian man stumbled to a stop, arms reaching out to check him over, patting him down, “ _You are unhurt, yes? Please, do not scare me like this! My heart cannot take this worry!_ ” he begged almost tearfully.

His heart broke a little, Mister Wu had practically become his surrogate grandfather in the years he had been working at the Imperial Garden, he never once wanted to upset the man in any capacity. He hugged him tightly, “ _I am fine, Grandfather. Shinra interrupted. They decided they needed a conversation with Don Corneo and that I was in the way,_ ” he explained soothingly, “ _He will not bother with me again._ ”

“ _No, he will not! Or I will teach him the manners his dishonourable ancestors forgot!!_ ” the elderly propieter exclaimed aggressively, “Come. I take you home. No argue! Promise your mother I did. To keep you safe.”

“What about the restaurant?” he asked as he found himself being ushered out of Wall Market, past Chocobo Sam who startled from his angry drinking in astonishment (Mister Wu gave him the most narrow filthy glare he'd ever seen the good natured old man give anyone).

“Closed!” the old man declared as they walked around the trash piles, “One night not hurt me. You being hurt will!” he declared firmly.

And then they reached the playpark where his older sister was plotting his rescue with Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Folia, Zack, Cloud, Mireille, Doc, and about eight other people all from Sectors 5, 6, and 7. The loud exclamation that went up from Jessie when she saw him and Mister Wu coming set the whole lot of them off and a split second later he was being tackled by both his sister and bis boyfriend – and his sister's boyfriend, and Jessie, and Wedge. There was a lot of hugging.

* * *

Corneo did not bother them again. Even the tolls between Sectors mysteriously vanished.

Things settled down a bit once more, at least as far as life beneath the Plate did.

Topside though, things were getting more and more chaotic, Zack was being sent on a lot of missions and he wasn't very happy about it. Apparently AVALANCHE had stolen Shinra science documents and were performing dangerous SOLDIER-inspired enhancements on people, destroying their sense of self in the process and turning them into superhuman killing machines. Amongst other things.

Tseng contacted them to tell them that Veld was no longer head of the Turks and they were now under the command of Heidegger, any and all Turks seen should be considered potentially hostile and avoided. The weeks following that contact had been tense and fearful for the twins, each of them taking solace in each other and their significant others whenever they could as it seemed that both of their boyfriends were becoming more and more invested in their respective jobs.

That awful sinking feeling of rising Change hadn't gone away, it was just getting bigger and bigger and even more _horrible_ , Terra felt sick with it and Aerith hadn't _noticed_ it! It was like she had tried to close her ears to what she was... even her magic was weaker now than before. Her flowers weren't growing as well, and she just looked away when he asked her about it, and refused to answer.

Then Terra's world came crashing down around his ears with a pebble against his window.

He'd literally just gotten in from a shift at the Honeybee in the small hours of the morning when a stone bounced off the window, Aerith mumbled something under her breath and rolled over, thankfully not waking as he quietly crossed the room and peered out to see Biggs stood in the garden with a raised hand. Huffing because he was _tired_ damnit, the sixteen year old grabbed one of his jackets and stuck his feet into his usual boots, not bothering to lace them as he crept out and down the stairs.

“Biggs? What is it? I just got off shift,” he complained, yawning into a hand as his boyfriend drew him into a warm hug, which was nice, very nice. He wondered how much trouble he would get into if he snuck Biggs inside and used him as a teddybear tonight.... Aerith would back him up if he said nothing happened, right?

“Sorry, I know you're tired. Something important came up,” he murmured, nuzzling into his hair. “Can you come with me for a bit? There's some people I'd like you to meet.”

Terra yawned and rubbed his eye, “People that can't wait until a decent hour of the day?” he whined plaintively, and got a sweet kiss for his troubles.

“The less people around to see them, the less chance they get outed to Shinra,” his boyfriend explained with a familiar flavour of grim certainty that had Terra nodding.

“Alright. Let me get my materia,” he agreed. If Biggs was getting him up in the middle of the night then it was probably because someone was hurt and they couldn't risk going to a regular clinic or even the slum doctor – probably another escapee from Hojo, they usually ended up down in the slums if they were too injured to get out of the city.

The two jogged their way out of the slums and into the trash heaps, heading down to the church, which made Terra even more concerned.

That concern souring into a strange anxiety and dread when he saw the men and women with weapons lingering outside, watching them approach. He slowed, steps hesitating, “Biggs?” he heard his own voice ask, sounding so unlike himself that he didn't even recognise it. He sounded young. Young and afraid.

“It's fine. They're my friends, no one here is going to hurt you, Terra, I promise,” he swore, placing a hand at the small of his back and gently propelling him forward to the front door.

Just what kind of people had he brought into the church? How hurt was the person inside if they had been surrounded by all of this?

One of the armed guys opened the door for them, watching him with a decidedly unsettling expression on his face as they stepped in. Terra readied his Restore as he hurried in, only, there was no injuries, no one in need of medical attention.

Just three people, two men and a woman.

He stopped dead, digging his heels in as he stared at her, _through_ her.

“What the hell have they done to you?” came out of his mouth before any of the three could open their own. Someone had _implanted_ a Summoning Materia into her, had linked it to her very life-force! And not just any, the Planet told him, whispering of counter-measures and weapons and the Calamity, _never-again-never-again_. Zirconaide would scour the surface of the planet of all life, plant, animal, microbial. Rest them back to day one, glut the Lifestream to begin again. Leave whatever remained to die in its own time, starve to death and wither.

The woman's expression twisted into something complicated as she tucked a hand behind herself, as if to hide it from view.

Biggs nudged him, “Terra, let me introduce my bosses, Elfe, Shears, and Fuhito.”

The young woman was thin and pale in a sickly kind of way, she had thick brown hair and wore green fatigues. Next to her was Shears, a powerfully muscular man with long brown hair in a bandanna, and wore fighting gloves. Slightly behind them was a thin young man with a gun and glasses, his own brown hair was slicked back and he looked over Terra with an expression of clinical interest that made his skin crawl – it felt like being looked at by Professor Hojo all over again.

He frowned at them, “I'm not sure what you expected here but, I can't do anything to fix what was done to you. Removing Zirconaide would kill you at this point,” he explained sadly, chewing his lip as Elfe flinched back, and Shears, the muscular man, tensed up furiously.

Fuhito nudged his glasses up, “So this is the Ancient.”

He felt cold.

“I – beg your pardon?” he blurted distantly, tensing up.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” the young woman admitted quietly, “But as Biggs said, I am Elfe, this is Shears and Fuhito. We are an Anti-Shinra organisation, which is why I asked for you to come here. Biggs claimed to know you so I asked him to escort you. I thought a friendly face might put you at ease,” she explained, gesturing to his boyfriend who smiled reassuringly at him. It was reflex to return it, even though it was weak and sickly and it felt like his heart was beating in his ears as everything roared around him. “We have a proposition for you.”

“Indeed,” Fuhito agreed, nudging his glasses up again as he prowled forward, making Terra's stomach turn as he fought the urge to step back. “We would like your cooperation. As the last surviving Ancient you are constantly under threat from Shinra. We want to topple them, shut down their reactors, save the planet. Don't you think it would be in our best interests to work together?”

It felt like there was static electricity on his skin.

“Don't lie,” his mouth moved and spoke from very far away. “You want the Promised Land.”

“That's right,” Fuhito agreed in a low purr of interest.

“We want to protect it from Shinra,” Elfe vowed, touching her chest earnestly. She believed it too.

“But we can't do that if we don't know where it is,” the glasses wearing man crooned, stepping forward and Terra couldn't handle this anymore, he took a step back from him, expression twisting with revulsion.

The tone of the room changed immediately.

“You told them,” he whispered.

Biggs told AVALANCHE about him being an Ancient. He _**told!**_

* * *

The rest of the incident was... a bit of a blur.

He refused to tell them where it was. Refused to go anywhere with them too. Even Biggs' attempts to talk him around were met with stony refusal. When Fuhito lamented about having to do so via force Terra laughed bitterly and asked what made him think that he and his rabble could take him when Shinra had been trying for years and _failed_?

He then did something that he would feel guilty about later, but was too angry, too numb and _betrayed_ to care right then.

He reached into the woman, Elfe, and stirred Zirconaide.

She collapsed, and Shears ran to her in a panic while Fuhito looked as though he wanted nothing more than to dissect him where he stood.

They left eventually, tried to talk him into reconsidering about the Promised Land, claimed a cure for Elfe's poor health could be found there – he told them not to come back, his answer would remain the same. They had protected the Promised Land for thousands of years by keeping the information to themselves, that would not be changing any time soon.

“Terra,” Biggs tried to touch him, he slapped his hand away.

“Get out,” he choked turning away from him, “Don't ever come back. We're through. If I see you around me or mine again....” he left the threat hanging.

“I just – it isn't _safe_ , Terra! AVALANCHE can protect you,” he pleaded.

He shook his head, “The summon sleeping in Elfe is a planet killer. Fuhito feels the same way as Professor Hojo. AVALANCHE has been performing human experimentation.” He looked at his ex-boyfriend bitterly, “In what way are they _safer?_ ” he demanded harshly. “Just go. Get out. I never want to see you again. You _told them_.”

Biggs went.

And Terra curled up in his sister's flowerbeds, feeling sick with grief, and cried himself to sleep.

* * *

A month later, Zack and Cloud went on a mission to Nibelheim.

A week later the Planet screamed, and the Wave hit.


End file.
